Shattered Persona
by auDC Productions
Summary: His mother and sister were dead. His father was a renown assassin. And he was just looking out for number one. Yeah, being Red X was a lot harder than it sounded.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Young Justice, Teen Titans, or any of the DC Comics characters, cities, etc.

**Summary: **Follows the story of Jake Cross (born Jake Wilson) who has taken the mantle of Red X. For this story (and those that follow it) all of the events in the Teen Titans cartoon have happened (Trigon, Brain, etc.) and none of the Young Justice events have occurred yet. More info will be on my page as well as explained in the story.

Enjoy.

* * *

Shattered Persona

Prologue: Masks

[Wayne Enterprises: Jump City, California]  
[21:32:12 PST]

The rain fired down from the heavy clouds covering the heavens on the streets below. Many people would have simply gone inside to avoid the storm that was brewing. But the two that occupied the roof of Wayne Enterprises hardly cared. All that mattered to them at the moment was the ending their fight once and for all.

Punches were swung. Kicks were thrown. Though neither connected completely. They mirrored each other perfectly. One, a thief with a high-tech suit that could do things that others dreamed about. The other, an acrobat that had more weapons on his belt than some countries had in an army. One a hero, the other a villain. Yet both exactly the same.

A flush roundhouse kick was made to the younger boy's face, causing him to stumble backwards a bit. The opening, though only present for a few seconds, was enough for the older to capitalize and he landed another, harder, kick to his rival's midsection. Due to his morals, he allowed his foe to fold over and regain his breath. Beating an unarmed enemy was something he did not do and killing was simply out of the question. Even if he was fighting for revenge.

"Give it up Bird-brain. You can't win." Jake Wilson said to his opponent.

"Never." Dick Grayson responded as he rose. "You will lose today X. You're going to jail, even if I have to do it singlehandedly."

Jake, Red X, only seethed behind his mask. Not because Dick, Robin, rose to his feet again, but because of memories that flashed through his head. He thought of happier times when Jake and his sister could actually play like privileged children could in their large backyard. Those memories died every time he thought about a fire and a failed mission from the Teen Titans.

The death of his sister.

Dick revealed his metal staff, using it to regain his balance. The kick to the face was a lot harder than he expected. But he would continue to fight. This was Red X. This was the villain that he created. It was true that they were similar in a lot of ways, but he would always see the difference. Red X was a villain. Robin was a hero. It was just that simple.

In a split second, Dick came for Jake once more. Jake, currently weaponless, dodged the strikes from Dick's staff. Robin was no pushover, especially when it came to wielding that metal pole. It was equivalent to Raven's spells or Starfire's energy blasts when it came to pain wise. And Jake would know. He had been on the receiving end of all of those attacks once or twice before. For now, he would be on the receiving end of a strike to the gut, followed by a downwards swing to his back. Jake only had a second to regain himself before rolling out of the way of a would-be finishing strike from the Boy Wonder.

"Give up!" Robin growled as he leaped into the air, preparing a thunderous downward strike with his staff in his hands.

Jake's eyes narrowed as he activated his wrist-mounted X-shaped saw blades, slicing the staff before it could connect with him. Twirling gracefully, Jake frightening Richard to backtrack as a spinning blade came dangerously close to cutting Dick's neck.

Now Robin was on the defense. Red X was skillfully slinging those saws around as if they were a child's toy. Robin had witnessed several of Slade's drones be diced by his opponent in a matter of seconds with these blades. They were the coup de grace and then some if they were to be used on a person.

"Running out of room." Red X stated as Robin's left foot felt the edge of the building. "This is the end!"

Dick had never heard the thief yell with such aggression before. He was normally calm, collected, and above all, sarcastic. Yet the guy that stood in front of him now was filled with rage and hatred. This was probably not going to end well for him if he did not think quickly.

Jake saw Dick retrieve a few smoke bombs and quickly prepared himself for teleportation. As soon as Robin raised his hand to throw the bombs onto the ground, Red X appeared behind him, landing a double-kick to his back. Dick flew forwards, tumbling on the hard, wet rooftop before coming to a stop.

"Now that I have you here, I can finally end this." Dick's world grew black after his foe finished speaking.

* * *

[Jump City, California]  
[22:15:46 PST]

Richard groaned as he opened his eyes. He gasped, seeing that he was restrained in a vertical position, the city beneath him; literally.

"I should've killed you." Richard looked upwards, seeing Red X sitting on the rooftop of an unknown building. "But I didn't."

"Why? What have I done to you?" The question was pretty rhetorical seeing as all villains hated the heroes that stopped them. Though this was not Jake's reason at all. In fact, he loved it when he was confronted by the Teen Titans or some other hero. It made him go back and train harder so he could escape with what he wanted next time.

"Rose Wilson," Red X continued. "Do you know who she is?" Robin shook his head. "She was my younger sister. A bit rough around the edges, but I loved her nonetheless. Do you want to know how she died?" There was edginess in the teen thief's voice that startled Dick now. "Because you let her burn in a building!"

Dick instantly knew what incident Red X was talking about. A few months back, the Titans had a run-in with an assassin in Gotham known as Ravager. She was planning on killing an ambassador that was visiting the city and the team was sent to stop her as the heroes were meant to do. However, there was a third party there who set the building ablaze. While the Teen Titans attempted to save as many people as they could, the building collapsed before all could escape, including Ravager. Dick continued to stay up late nights with that mission on his mind, ignoring Starfire's pleads on getting some sleep and letting it go.

"I didn't know." Dick said quietly. "X, I'm sorry. I'm sure your sister-"

"Don't you dare speak for her!" Jake snapped, glaring down at his captured prey. "You didn't save her because of your code!"

By now, Dick was confused. "What are you talking about? I tried to save everyone in that building!"

"Including Rose?" Robin frowned but nodded. This caused Jake to laugh, standing on the ledge now. "That's funny. Last I heard, you and Rose battled to her death. Or was that all a lie?"

"What are you-"

"You didn't fight the assassin known as Ravager?" The question caused Dick's eyes to widen beneath his mask. Ravager was Red X's younger sister? But that would mean… "You had my father's attention, but to take away my sister…" There was a pause, the rain lightening up a bit. "Rose wasn't perfect, but she didn't deserve to die because she was an assassin. You should've saved her."

"I tried! I tried to save everyone!" Robin argued.

"You were fighting her when the first explosion went off. There is no excuse as to why you didn't save her." Jake stated.

Dick knew that Jake was right. When the building shook and Ravager's head met the side of the wall, he began to usher out the civilians there first with thoughts of getting her later. It was his code that killed Rose. Then his mind traveled back to another revelation.

"Slade is your father." Dick questioned though it came out more like a statement.

"You're like the son he's always wanted. Someone who had great skills, didn't joke around, and took his training seriously." Jake answered. Dick was a little unnerved when the teen was now hanging off the roof, the two at eye-level now. "I won't kill you today, Robin. I just wanted to show you how alike we are. Almost like we're each others' other half."

"We're nothing alike! I am not a criminal!" Robin growled.

"Look at your city." It was the first time that Dick had done so. He could see some smoke rising off in the distance and hear the sounds of sirens all around. "This is your doing. You chased me to Wayne Enterprises, setting off bombs, throwing your little knives, and not caring about the bystanders. Your team flipped cars, knocked down power lines, and blasted the streets just to unmask me." Dick's eyes went wide once more. "You're a bigger threat to the people than I am, for I was merely standing on a roof before this began."

"Why not kill me then? Or reveal my identity to the people?" Robin questioned.

"We both know that killing you would leave me without competition to stop my next heist." Robin heard the mocking in his voice and bit down a groan. "As for revealing your identity, I never cared about that."

"Everyone does. That's why we wear masks." Red X chuckled a bit.

"I wear a mask simply because it goes with the suit and gives me different visions. You wear a mask simply because you can't bear to stare into the eyes of a murderer every time you see your reflection." The jab met its mark at Dick's confidence and morality.

"That's not true." Robin said quietly.

"Say what you want kid, the fact remains that you and I walk a very thin line between right and wrong. I will not kill for the sake of a job and you…" Jake's words trailed off as he eyed the city. "You are willing to put hundreds of lives in danger for the sake of one thief who was just casually standing on the roof."

"We couldn't take the chance that you would be-"

"What? Working for my dad? As if." Red X interrupted. Robin was unprepared for the thief to hop back on the roof. "Your team should be here any second now."

"Wait! What if this stuff let's up?" Dick questioned as he struggled against the rather large red X that stuck him to the side of the building.

"Then I suggest you think fast." Robin was now desperately trying to reach his grappling hook, though the X-restraint was pretty tough. "And don't try the grappling hook. I left that behind so Beast Boy could get your scent."

Now Robin was panicking. Slade was a mastermind and Ravager was a skilled assassin. He did not know just what Red X was capable of now that he was forced to think the thief had blood ties with the other two. Slade would not kill Robin for the sake of Robin joining allegiance with the man and Ravager, for what Robin knew, only killed people she was ordered to. So what made Red X kill? If it was vengeance, then Dick was a dead man already.

"X," Dick said before looking up to see that the thief had disappeared. "Great…" Dick's eyes went back to the city. "Just great."

He could practically hear the people of his city crying in pain. Pain that he caused. He was the one throwing bombs and skipping into traffic to stop Red X, who had been just casually standing on a roof before the chase began. Of course, Red X did exchange a few words that got the entire team fired up, but that was no excuse for the damages done.

"Robin!" The masked hero barely gave Starfire a glance. "Are you alright? Where is the Red X?"

"He's gone Star." Robin replied.

"Should we-"

"No." Robin knew what she was going to ask and stopped her before she could even say it. "Just get me down and let's go home."

Richard could only stare at the city. Was he as much of threat to the people as Red X or Slade? Maybe not so much as the latter, but he had definitely done more damage than Control Freak had. So maybe he and Red X were not so different.

After all, they both wore masks.

* * *

A/N: Where, here is the opening to Shattered Persona. It will focus mostly on Jake/Red X's life and begin to blend in with Young Justice and a few other DC titles. Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.01: Initiation

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[September 22, 16:03:43 EST]

School was something that all teens dread at one point of their life or another. And for one Jake Cross, school was definitely something he could live without. Not that it was particularly hard or anything, he just hated being around such phony people. And by phony, he meant those that tried to push others around. He could take most of the students out with one hand tied behind his back. Doing this would get him expelled across the board and he had spent some well earned money to get into Gotham Academy.

"Mr. Cross," Jake paused in his step. He turned his head to see a woman with dark brown hair walking towards him. "May I have a word with you?"

Jake put a hand in his pants' pocket. "What do you want?"

"I don't think here is the right place to discuss that." The woman said. "Come."

Jake was no idiot. His parents had trained him well at an early age along with Rose. And after the event with his uncle, he would never trust an unfamiliar face again. So he just stood there, waiting for the woman to be at a reasonable distance, before taking the alternate route to his apartment.

Or so he thought.

No sooner did he turn around did he run into two large men.

"As I said," the woman's voice reached his ears. "I would like a word with you. Now, come."

He was out-muscled, but not out-smarted. If he wanted to get out of this, he would have to play along until a plan came to mind. And one was slowly being made as he turned to follow the woman.

The mysterious woman seemed beautiful, but Jake could sense a hint of danger and intelligence behind her green eyes. This woman was up to something and Jake wanted nothing to do with it. Unless the pay was good, that is.

A small café was the location of their talk. Jake did not approve of having the two large men there, but figured that they were the woman's guards. If he tried anything they would attempt to break him in half. Note: Attempt.

"Jake Wilson," Jake's eyes narrowed. He no longer went by his father's last name. "I came to offer you a job."

"Not interested." Jake replied.

"The League of Assassins," The woman continued. "Is always searching for the best of the best. And you, Red X, are what we're looking for."

"Lady, I don't know who you are or how you know who I am, but-"

"Your sister worked for us." Now Jake's anger was beginning to take its toll.

"I already know that." The boy hissed. "She died doing a mission you guys sent her on!"

"It was unfortunate, but she died for a greater cause." Jake sprung for the woman in an attempt to ring her neck, but was surprised when a man quickly held his hand down to the table. He looked up to see, not one of the two guards, but another man he did not know. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Talia al Ghul, daughter of the Great Ra's al Ghul. My father does not send personal invitations out to just anyone to join the League. He also says that the pay will be great indeed."

Jake's eyes scanned the area. This was no ordinary café. Everyone in here was with Talia and would most likely kill him if he attempted to harm her again. The man holding his right wrist released it and took a couple of steps back, though he gave Jake a warning glance. Jake sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. Unlike Rose, he could normally quell his anger instead of letting it control him.

"Sorry lady, but I've already done the whole evil team thing. It didn't work out and the pay was never as good as they said it was." Jake said.

Talia held up her right hand, one of the guards accompanying her setting a briefcase on the table. Jake's brows furrowed before Talia opened the briefcase and spun it so he could see the contents inside.

"Pure Xenothium." Jake's eyes showed his shock as Talia spoke. "This powers your suit, correct? Along with more high tech gear as well as, of course, money directly sent to your account as Jake Cross."

"You drive a hard bargain. I could see why Rose was suckered in by you people." said Jake. "But, I guess I have no choice, do I? You already know who I am and I'm sure know where I live. Running wouldn't do me any good and, if you wanted, could have me killed right here and now."

"Your first job is simple. Release Deathstroke and Sportsmaster from Blackgate Prison." Jake released a low grunting sound. "Do not worry. We have assigned another newcomer to aid you. One that I'm sure you know."

"They must be important to you if you want me to break them out." Jake stated.

Talia rose. "You should know. After all, Deathstroke is your father." Seeing Jake bristle at the fact, Talia eyed a woman wearing an apron, but obviously not doing anything. "See to it that he is well fed. I want no excuses when he leaves here for Blackgate."

"Yes milady." The woman returned before heading to the kitchen.

Jake closed his eyes once more and reflected on his life. When he had learned that Rose had joined the League of Assassin, he attempted to meet the group by stealing high-tech things that he did not necessarily need. In fact, he once thought about stealing Robin's briefcase during a race and selling it to the League in hopes of reuniting with his younger sister. But all that came to an end when he came to Gotham City and identified his sister's burnt corpse.

"Coffee Mr. Cross?" the waitress asked as she sat a cup in front of him.

Jake did not look at her. The last time he spoke to his father, he was giving Slade the news that some assassin had murdered Adeline Kane, Jake and Rose's mother. That was not the first time an assassin had broken into their house though. The first time an assassin broke into the Wilson's home, it was Jake's uncle, Wade. The man would go on to be the reason that Rose had lost her left eye.

"I'm fine." Jake said.

Those in the restaurant watched the teen leave with the briefcase with a careful watch. It has been a while since Red X has done anything worth talking about. Now it was time to see what Red X could do when he used his full potential.

* * *

[Blackgate Prison: Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[September 22, 21:00:00 EST]

Jake, now in his Red X costume, glanced at the prison from afar.

"Nine on the dot. You're punctual." Jake's eyes narrowed behind his mask. He knew that voice too well and turned to see his temporary partner. "You look like you're surprised."

"My face is behind a mask. How can you tell what I look like, Cheshire?" Jake returned. "Though, I'm surprised to know that the Teen Titans didn't take you down with the rest of the Brotherhood."

Cheshire let out an annoyed grunt. "No thanks to you."

"The pay wasn't what they said." Jake swore he saw her seething under her smiling mask. "We should figure out how to get inside. The sooner this is over, the sooner we're separated."

"I agree." The teen girl said. "Your corny jokes were annoying back then. I can't deal with them again."

Jake smirked. "Seriously? And here I thought we had such a great friendship."

Cheshire scoffed. "As if. If the Brain was half as smart as he says, he would've killed you on day one instead of letting you join." The girl then paused. "Which makes me wonder how you got the League's attention."

"What can I say? I'm the best." Red X stated as he moved for the prison wall.

Cheshire did not follow, opting to go a different route. It really would not matter to her if Red X died or not. He was quite a nuisance when they were both a part of the Brotherhood of Evil and she doubted that he had changed much. And if she was right, then he would either die during the mission or flea before things got out of hand.

Jake easily camouflaged himself as he scaled the side of the building, already bypassing several security officers. He looked at this mission as another robbery instead of a jail break. He would focus on "stealing" his father from the cell and exchanging Slade for pay. It was just another job, right?

Finally reaching the roof, Jake used his thermal scanner within his mask to see those posted there. He found nine, which made him grin beneath his mask. This should be fairly easy.  
But before he could make his move, they all began to drop like flies, a new heat signature being the cause. Jake watched as Cheshire made quick work of the guards, slaying them without a care in the world. Right when she was about to kill the last one, Jake captured the man in a large red X, the guard falling onto the roof while screaming obscenities.

"He's going to-" Cheshire's words ended when Jake's foot met with the shouting man's face, effectively knocking him out. "Killing him would've been easier."

"My mission isn't to kill," Jake said. "It's to free someone."

The girl merely put her sai away as Jake moved for the door on the roof. Opening it slowly, he was slightly pleased to know that no one was there. He switched his thermal scanner off and gave a small head motion to his teammate, she following him inside.

"They are on the first floor." Cheshire informed Red X quietly. "There are hundreds of guards between here and them."

"Don't tell me you're afraid already." Red X taunted. He was unsurprised when he heard the smallest of laughter coming from his teammate.

"Keep up if you can." And with that, she took to the comforts of the shadows.

Camouflaging himself again, Jake began to maneuver through the halls quietly. His dislike for killing had done nothing but grown over the years. The only exception to his no-killing rule was the man that killed his mother. He did not know who the man was or where the man was currently at, but he would kill him.

"Intruder!" Jake cursed quietly. Had they spotted him?

No. Looking around, he saw the guards moving for another hall. Cheshire had been spotted, probably for playing with her prey. She had a terrible habit in doing so. Jake thought that he was in the clear until a man bumped into him, causing him to stumble backwards.

"What the hell?" the guard questioned.

Seeing no other way around it, Jake punched the man clear in his face, knocking the guard out cold. Unveiling himself, Jake noticed several guards standing around trying to figure out what had happened.

"Is that Red X?"

"How'd he get in here?!"

"Well, well," Jake mused. "I didn't know I was missed."

"Get him!"

The first attacker came from his left. Dodging the punch and landing a knee to the gut, Jake brought his left hand up to block a punch from the second attacker. With great quickness, Jake grabbed the man's wrist and spun around behind him, wrenching his arm.

"Ah! Get him off!" the man seethed in pain.

"As you wish." Jake said kicking him towards the would-be third attacker. Before the men could do anything, Jake strapped them together using large constrictive red X. "That should hold you two."

"You won't get out of here alive, Red X. Give up!" Jake looked around. Eight men now stood in his way in completing the mission.

"Heh, this should be fun." And with that, the thief disappeared from his spot.

"Where'd he go?" one guard asked before Red X appeared airborne in front of him. "What the-"

After kicking the man in the face, Jake teleported again. His new plan was quite simple yet fun and effective. Reappearing and disappearing, Jake went around knocking out those that once surrounded him. This continued until Jake had cleared most of his targets.

"Well that was easy." X stated. He turned his head in time to see Cheshire launch a throwing star in his direction. Craning his neck to dodge the fatal blow, he watched it whiz past him and hit a rising guard in the neck. "Nice aim."

Cheshire moved to him and gently cupped his face.

"What are you talking about? I missed." Jake removed her hand before walking down the hall.

"Then remind me to never get on your bad side." he stated.

"You already are." the girl responded.

Jake saw the carnage that Cheshire had created. Many guards, and a few prisoners, lay slain on the floor. His face became steel beneath his mask, seeing the sight of pooled blood before. And before the memories of his mother could haunt him any further, he looked at his teammate.

"Which way?" he asked.

"This way." Cheshire answered. "Keep up."

"Or I could just stay behind and stare and your-" Cheshire swung a sai for Red X, though he blocked it with an X-shaped shuriken. "Aren't you feisty?"

The two stood nearly mask-to-mask before Cheshire pushed away.

"Let's move." she said.

"As you wish."

Jake was only half-joking when he stated (well, he was going to state) that he was going to glance at his partner's rear. Her clothing did show off her curves. But that is not what his main goal was. It was to rob her of her blades. He would do it, not to irritate her or complicate the mission, but simply to test his skills. It had been too long since he had done something like this to someone of his caliber.  
A wolf-whistle came from one of the cells. Cheshire, obviously not amused, flicked another throwing star towards the man's way, hitting him square in the forehead. This immediately shut up the others nearby.

"Don't you think that was uncalled for?" Jake questioned.

"He obviously deserved it." Cheshire responded.

Jake shrugged his shoulders. "Thought he was giving you a compliment. Didn't think you'd take it that seriously." Cheshire turned towards him, glaring through her mask. "But I see I was wrong."

"Very." Cheshire told him before they came to a cell.

"Well," A man known as Sportsmaster said. "If it isn't my daughter actually doing something nice for me."

Raising a brow, Jake looked at his teammate. Even with the mask blocking her face from view, Jake could tell that the girl was livid. Apparently she had something against her father as he had against his. Though he seriously doubted that they were the same.

"We'll need a bomb or a saw to cut through this." Cheshire told Red X.

"Aren't you lucky for having such a useful teammate then?" Red X replied as he activated a wrist-mounted saw blade on his right hand. "Step back."

In no time did he have the bars cut to free, not only Sportsmaster, but Deathstroke as well.

"It's been a while," Slade began. "Son."

Jake's eyes hardened. This was the man that caused his sister to lose her left eye and his mother to lose her life. Then he slowly calmed down. This was a mission. He could not let his personal feelings get involved.

"Son?" Sportsmaster echoed. "So this is the boy you were talking about. The one that stayed with his mother instead of becoming an assassin like his sister." Sportsmaster chuckled. "And people say that I was a terrible father."

"You are." No one said a word after Cheshire said her remark. "Now let's go. We have a mission."

"We'll need our things." Sportsmaster said.

"Leave it to me." Red X said before turning to Cheshire. "I'll meet you on the roof."

And with that, the teen vanished from his spot.

"Red X, huh?" Sportsmaster said to Deathstroke.

"Yes." Deathstroke said. "Jake has always been more laidback, never taking anything I taught him seriously. If he did, well I'm sure he'd be able to take out your daughter, here." Deathstroke noticed his cellmate was ready to argue and held a hand. "But that is a bet for another time. Let's show the children how to do a successful prison break."

"They are rookies, aren't they?" Sportsmaster replied. "Fine then. Let's kill the rest of the guards and let some of the other game free."

"Ready to go, partner?" Sportsmaster nodded at Deathstroke's question.

"Sure. Partner."

* * *

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[September 22, 23:10:32 EST]

"You two do not disappoint." Talia said to Red X and Cheshire. "As promised, the money has been wired and you are both members of the League of Assassins."

"I'll just accept the money." Jake said casually as he turned around. "Keep in touch though."

Jake walked out of the café only for Cheshire to catch up to him.

"Give it back." The girl threatened. Jake grinned beneath his mask, handing Cheshire the sai he had actually obtained. She snatched it from him. "Don't touch this again or you will die."

"You're cute when you're angry, Jade." Jake teased. "But I can't stay out with you tonight. School tomorrow."

"School? How old are you?" Cheshire asked.

"Sorry. I don't kiss on the first date." Jake replied before teleporting away.

Jade's eyes narrowed slightly. Her new "partner" was as annoying as he once was and then some. Yet, he was not completely useless. Stealth was clearly his forte and he was admittedly one of the best thieves she has ever come across. So maybe this team had a chance?


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 02: Training

[Gotham Academy; Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[October 7, 12:16:03 EST]

Two weeks training with the League of Assassins was a pain in the ass. School was, as it always has been, nothing but an add-on to the stress. Yet, Jake knew that this was how it would always be. He was just glad that Jade's "light hits" were actually becoming more predictable and less painful. Though, every now and again, she did catch him off guards with a fierce blow to the gut.

"Mind if I sit here?" Jake looked up at the voice. It was the new girl, Artemis Crock. He knew pretty much nothing about her but shook his head. "So… I hear that you're the quarterback."

"Best there is." Jake said absentmindedly. He then smiled. "You meet with the commissioner's daughter and the ward of Bruce Wayne and then have lunch with the quarterback? I thought the new girl was supposed to be shy and quiet."

"I'm not like normal girls." Artemis replied.

Jake nodded. She was flirting with him and was not afraid to be open about it. And while she was quite attractive, he knew that high school romances were better avoided with his life style. He had lost his mother and sister because of his father's life, he would not do the same thing to someone else.

"So what happened to your arm?" Artemis asked while casually eating her sandwich.

Jake looked at the cut on his arm given to him by one Talia al Ghul. The woman was supposedly training him by beating the living hell out of him without his suit. And while Jake was no pushover outside the Red X suit, he would surely need it to face someone of Talia's caliber.

"Football." Jake lied.

"Must've hurt." Jake raised a brow. "Are you always this quiet?"

"Only when I have a mysterious and beautiful girl in front of me." Jake said glad to see that she blushed. "Which makes me wonder, what are you doing here anyway? Surely your new friends miss you."

"Dick left for some reason and Bette and Barbara are somewhere." Artemis said. "And I don't want to be left with your friends."

Jake looked to see the other football players eying Artemis from their table. He gave them a small shake of his head which prompted them to smirk, but turn away. He was more than just a field general. He was a general period.

"They're…" Jake's words were cut off by his cell phone ringing. "Damn, not now." Artemis gave him an amused look. "It's my dad."

"Oh…" she said. "Have fun with that. I know about terrible dads."

Jake chuckled. "I doubt it." Grabbing his soda, Jake stood up. "Catch you around, my goddess."

Jake left the girl at the table alone, making sure to give his teammates another warning stare. No one pissed off the quarterback simply because he could throw the game away, literally.

"What is it?" Jake answered his phone.

"Meet me on the roof." And with that, Slade ended the call.

Jake growled. "I'm going to have to change my number. Fast."

And with that, the dark-haired boy moved into the building.

Working with the League of Assassins was quite different than the Brotherhood of Evil. While the goal was pretty much the same (world domination), there was a major difference on how missions were done in the two organizations. The Brain had a firm grip on his former employees, telling them what to do and how to do it. Ra's al Ghul just cared about the outcome. He gave out a mission and said that it had to be done, no matter what. Jake and Jade, with their different philosophies on killing, did their jobs quite efficiently and quickly. Jade did well in making a scene and Jake could easily grab whatever it was that they needed and left.

Then there was the training. The Brain did not train anyone and Monsieur Mallah was no better. But Ra's made sure that the new recruits had training so that they were less likely to screw up on an important mission. Jade did not necessarily go through this training, but Jake was pitted with Talia. Hence the scratch on his arm.

Finally sneaking up onto the roof, Jake saw his white-haired father in his normal Deathstroke attire without his mask. The man turned to Jake to reveal the eye patch over his right eye. Jake had learned earlier that it was his mother who had maimed his father in retaliation to what Slade's brother had done to Rose. It brought the phrase "an eye for an eye" to a whole new level.

"What is it?" Jake asked.

"Is that anyway to greet your only father?" Jake's eyes narrowed. "Temper, son. You're becoming like that partner of yours everyday."

"This is a mission. Tell me." Jake nearly demanded.

Slade put his back to his son, hands behind his back as he stared at the students below.

"You're being sent to Central City." Slade instructed. "The job is Selena Gonzalez."

"CEO of Farano Enterprises?" Slade nodded. "Kind of big and not cheap."

"No, it won't be a cheap job." Slade stated. "But it makes me wonder just how a person that does not kill, kill a target."

"You let me worry about that when I get there." Jake shot back.

"Oh, I know all about the deal you have with Cheshire." Slade announced. "You will simply take the guards' attention and she will silently kill the woman. It's almost sickening to think that Rose may not be able to hold a candle to you, but she had more will than you will ever have."

"Don't speak about her!" Jake shouted. "It's your fault that she's dead!"

Jake was unprepared for the spinning backhand that knocked him clear on his back.

"You'd do best to never shout such blasphemy again." Deathstroke spoke calmly. "While you were off on one of your little adventures, I was there trying to save your sister." Jake bit back another growl as he glared at his father. "Don't go to your little practice after school. We'll need you ready in time to get you to Central City. Understood?"

"Don't try to parent me now." Jake said rising to his feet.

"Jake," Jake paused in his departure. "Don't think for a second that I didn't care about Rose or Adeline."

"I don't have to think." Jake said. "I know you don't."

With that, Jake left his father on the roof. He was not in the mood to bond with the man, not now at least. For now, he would focus on taking his aggression out on the mission. He just felt sorry for the first person that crossed him.

* * *

[Farano Enterprises: Central City, Missouri]  
[October 7, 20:30:03 CST]

Jake had seen Jade with her mask off before, but he was never going to get used to seeing facial expressions on her. She did not smile nearly as much as her mask did and even while stating a joke, she hardly curled her upper lip unless it was a smirk. But as they stood on a roof eying the Farano Enterprises building, she rested against a HVAC unit mask-less.

"Do you know why we're killing such an attractive woman?" Jake asked.

Jade eyed the back of her partner. "Don't tell me that you're in love with her." She then smirked. "And here I thought we were building a relationship."

"Don't worry Sunshine. You'll always be number one." Jake joked back. His eyes scanned a few guards entering the building. "They're beefing up security. Someone must've tipped them off."

"The Hook attempted to assassinate her earlier and failed." Cheshire explained. "It's just a small setback, unless you can't handle it."

"Don't break a nail. Again." Red X taunted. Cheshire flicked a small stone from the roof, hitting her teammate in the back. "Your aim is getting better. You're able to hit my back now."

"You arrogant little…" Jade paused and placed her mask on. "When this is over, I'm going to kick your little ass."

"Now there's that beautiful face." Jake said. "So are you ready now?"

"Let's go, Partner."

Jake nodded as he held onto Jade and teleported to the large building he was previously scanning. With all jokes aside, it was time for them to do another job.

* * *

The glass shattered, causing two women to scream as the masked teen rolled into the room. None could see the smile beneath his skull mask as he flung several small pellets into the air, the spheres releasing a thick smoke that covered the room. Having a thermal sensor now came into play as the thief could easily spot who was moving in panic and those positioned in one spot and ready to fire at the first thing that remotely looked like an assassin.

But he could not help toying with them.

"Excuse me," Jake said tapping a guard on his shoulder. "Could you tell me the time?"

"Not now!" The man said before Jake planted an electrocuting X on the man's back, he screaming in pain before collapsing.

"Should've just told me the time." Jake said.

"There he is!"

With the skills of an acrobat, Jake began to flip and twirl around the office, dodging several badly aimed bullets. While in the midst of his latest flip, Jake hurled several X-shaped shuriken at his attackers, knocking their firearms out of their hands. Quickly closing the distance on them, he engaged them on a three-on-one fist fight. Unsurprisingly, he was winning.

"And you guys call yourselves security." Jake said flipping over the largest of the three men, causing him to crash into his two co-workers. "Pathetic."

"Red X." Jake slowly turned around. His eyes narrowed behind his mask as he stared at his new opponents. "It's been a while."

"So this is where you went Birdbrain." Red X said. "I thought that after the Titans disbanded, you would follow Starfire to Tamaran. Then again, she was always too good for you."

Robin gritted his teeth. "Don't toy with me. This won't go like last time."

"Speedy, Kid Flash, and…" Jake paused at the last dark-tanned boy. "Mystery guy."

"That's the new Aqualad. And this is the new team." Speedy said aiming an arrow at Red X.

"You know the phrase. Same shit, different day." Jake taunted before dodging the arrow fired at him.

Jake landed on a desk and spotted Kid Flash preparing to take off. This would not be his first time fighting three of the four members of this new team, so he knew what was most likely to happen.

Timing his teleport precisely, Jake was able to dodge the speedster and get behind the other three easily.

Or so he thought.

Robin quickly turned, swinging his staff while Speedy leaped to put distance between them. Jake was put on the defense momentarily, trying to keep an eye on the last member while trying not to be hit by the metal pole that Robin swung. The thief immediately did a back-flip, landing a kick on the chin of his opponent. This proved to be a bittersweet moment as a whip made of water found his waist and slung him through several cubicles.

"Alright Fish-boy," Jake said while rising. "Show me what you got."

"I will do more than that." Aqualad replied and charged for his opponent.

Jake began dodging the water-made blades of the larger boy. He had to learn his opponent fighting style, something that Talia had taught him without slashing him with her precious swords. The boy was clearly an excellent fighter, better than the one that was previously with the Teen Titans, that's for sure. But Jake had a mission to do. He would be able to assess this new Aqualad later.

Rolling out of the way of a heavy blow from a water-made sledgehammer, Jake tripped his opponent. He went to bring his foot down on the Atlantian, only for Aqualad to catch Red X's foot and emit electricity through his arms.

Jake shouted in pain and wrenched his foot free. Stumbling backwards, Jake was hit in the gut by an arrow with a boxing glove at the point.

This team was getting very annoying.

"Don't let up!" Robin ordered. "He's-"

Jake released several smoke bombs taking this time to recover from the last two shots. His thermal sensors allowed him to see all four of his opponents ready for him.

"Play time's over kids." Jake's voice went out through the room as he put on his cloaking device.

When the smoke cleared, the others looked around. Red X was nowhere in sight, but they knew he was here.

"Be ready for anything." Dick told his team.

Jake calculated his attack silently. Kid Flash was the first one that needed to be restrained. While ineffective in the first round, the speedster would become a serious problem if Jake used up too much Xenothium teleporting around the room and had to fight him head on. Next would be Speedy. The archer appeared to be more mature now and Jake was pretty sure that his fighting skills and aim had improved. And while he wanted to see so firsthand, now was not the time. Then Jake would take out this new Aqualad. The guy had already gotten the thief's respect in terms of fighting, but he was a serious thorn in the side. Finally, Jake figured Red X and Robin could have another bout. He would use what energy and Xenothium left over from the previous fights to finish off the former leader of the Teen Titans.

And now it was time to put the plan into action.

Rolling a small metallic sphere on the ground, Jake activated his hologram to show a version of himself fleeing the room.

"Found him!" Kid Flash said. "I got this one!"

"Wait!" Robin attempted to stop the redhead, but he was out of the room in seconds.

Jake took that moment to teleport after Kid Flash before the rest of his team could get to him. The boy was looking around the empty hall.

"Where'd you go?" Kid Flash asked.

"Behind you." The quickster's eyes widened as Jake tossed a small X on the ground. "Have fun."

Kid Flash was going to question what the thief was talking about, but the ground beneath him seemed to open up to the floor below and the hero found himself falling onto a desk, hard. In an attempt to sit up, Kid Flash felt someone land on his chest and looked to see the skull mask of his foe.

"Sweet dreams kid." Red X said before landing the coup de grace to the young Flash's face. Sure, he could have used knock-out gas, but a punch seemed much better.

"X!" Red X looked up to see the rest of the team staring down from the X-shaped opening above him. He quickly took off.

"We should split up." Speedy stated.

"No." Robin said. "That's what he wants. We have to stay together."

"Robin is right." Aqualad added, causing Speedy to grunt. "If we want to defeat this assassin, we'll have to do it together."

"Assassin huh?" The three looked to see that Red X was standing by the elevator now.

"You!" Speedy said before firing arrows at the teen.

Activating the saw blades on both wrists, Jake danced around the arrows and slashed the last one in halve. Red X ran towards his three opponents now, hoping that the saws would add to their hesitation. When Robin and Speedy backtracked, he knew that he had chosen right. But now he was pitted against Aqualad before he wanted to.

"Round two Fish-boy." Jake taunted as Aqualad created two blades out of water.

Jake began to fight the boy, blade with blade. He was both amused and annoyed that the water blades were solid enough to tear his cape, yet keeping the properties of water. Every time his saws slashed through one of them, they would just regenerate and he would be back at square one.

"Too slow." Aqualad said when his water wrapped around his opponent and he sent an electric charge to him.

Jake grunted but was able to fire an X that strapped onto Aqualad's chest.

"Payback." Jake said as the X sent a stronger surge of electricity through the larger boy.

Jake did not waste a second, moving to the strange metallic backpack on his opponent's back. He took another electrocuting X and palmed the pack.

"No water, no threat." Jake said before dodging several arrows. Deactivating his saws, he stared at his remaining two opponents. "Birdbrain and Archer. Quite the reunion, right?"

"You're slipping." Jake looked down in time to see a flash bomb go off. He stumbled blindly backwards only to feel his wrists be pinned to the wall behind him by arrows. "Like I said. This won't go like last time."

Jake looked at his arms pinned against the elevator doors and then at his opponents. He was slipping if he fell for such an old trick.

"So you finally got me." Jake said as he watched Aqualad slowly rise. "And all it took was four of you. Sad really."

"What are you talking about?" Speedy asked.

"That your aim has gotten worse since last time." Jake taunted.

"Why you!" Speedy said firing an explosive arrow at his opponent.

Jake quickly flipped upwards, his feet now above his head as the arrow landed on the elevator doors. Sure, he was harmed by the blast, but his arms were free from their hold. He was now able to grab onto the break cord of the elevator to stop his descent and finish his mission.

"…You need to stay calm." Jake heard Robin admonish Speedy. "We're not killers like he is."

"I did us a favor." Jake, now using his camouflage, easily returned to the scene. "Now Gonzalez is safe!"

Jake spun, grabbing the arguing teens by the wrists, and flung them to their third teammate. The trio topped towards the elevator shaft where two of the three fell in, Aqualad holding on to the doorway with all his might. Jake walked over to see that Speedy was holding onto Aqualad's feet and Robin was hanging off of Speedy.

He held out a hand. "Unless you intend on dying, you'll take my hand."

"Don't do it!" Speedy argued.

"I'm fine." Aqualad replied.

Knowing that the elevator was two floors beneath them, Jake pressed the up button before shaking his head.

"Pity." And with that, he gave Aqualad a kick to his face, the boy falling backwards. "You owe me Birdbrain."

Jake vanished from his spot, now heading for Selena's office. With the team having a setback, he could check in on his teammate. If she ran into half the trouble he did, then the mission was a failed one and he would not have the pay that he desired. And no one got in the way of him and a good paycheck.

* * *

[Chicken Whizee: Central City, Missouri]  
[October 7, 21:04:45 CST]

Jade Nguyen sat in a green shirt and jeans, a hat rested on her head and her hair tied in a messy ponytail. Her knee-high heels were still on from her Cheshire costume and the rest of her gear was in the backpack that sat next to her. Her black eyes landed on the dark-haired boy that entered in a white polo shirt and loose jeans held up by a red belt. From his neatly combed hair down to his spotless white shoes, the boy had the air of class about him. Yet, with the backpack on his back, she knew otherwise.

"Mind if I sit here?" The boy asked with a grin, his brown eyes shining with mischief.

"Don't get cocky, junior, this isn't a date." Jade replied as he sat across from her. "You took out the guards in her office, I presume."

"No thanks to you. But yeah, I did." Jake answered. "Where were you?"

"When you made your grand entrance," The female assassin began. "You set off a silent alarm and Selena fled. Don't worry though. I made sure that she didn't get far."

"I ran into the Teen Titans… Sort of." Jade's brows furrowed. "Robin, Speedy, Kid Flash, and this new Aqualad." Jake smirked. "Don't worry though. I made sure to keep my good looks so you don't have to worry about that."

Jade's eyes narrowed. "Do you always have to be a smartass?"

"I can be a dumbass if you'd like." The teen returned. Jade's right hand disappeared under the table and Jake stood up, not trying to be put into a fight without his suit on. "What would you like? On me."

He watched her eyes slowly lose their flames and inwardly sighed. The fight with the new titans took much more out of him than he expected, his wrists burning at the moment from the arrow shots that grazed them. His ribs hurt as well and his body was still recovering from being electrocuted, twice.

"I won't pay you back." Jade declared.

"Consider this my gratitude for doing the job without me." Jake answered. "So?"

Jade's eyes narrowed. "Fine." Jake grinned before taking her hat off of her head. "Hey! What're you-"

"There's that beautiful face." The younger of the two stated as he moved for the counter, her hat in his hand. "Don't cover up such a beautiful smile."

"I'm going to kill you!" Jade threatened, causing several people to stare.

Jake only smiled. "Not if I kill you first, my love."

Jade sat back in her seat and Jake knew that she was gripping her blades under the table. It was her fault that he was taunting her now, considering he defeated the cops, the guards, and the new titans while she simply waited to kill one hardly guarded woman. It was a fair trade if you asked him. He did all the hard work in exchange for picking and teasing her later. Plus, he was paying for dinner. You couldn't ask for a better partner, right?


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 03: Unmask

[Gotham Academy: Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[October 8, 12:10:12 EST]

The mission in Central City was a bigger success than Jake had thought. Central City was in a large lockdown due to the duo, claiming that "highly trained assassin" were in the area. It was enough to draw the attention of the Justice League, something that Jake had avoided for a good reason. If the JL found out who he was, he would have no choice but to move closer to his new employers' base.

Phone ringing, Jake sighed before answering it.

"Morning Boss Lady." Jake droned.

"X," Talia began her message. "We have a new mission for you." Jake rolled his eyes. Why else would she be calling? "Your target is Artemis Crock."

"Wh-what?" Jake stammered, moving to a less populated area.

"Your job is simple. Keep an eye on Miss Crock. Nothing more and nothing less. Are we clear?" Talia said.

"Crystal." Jake replied before hanging up. "What a messed up world."

"Hey Jake." Jake then looked to see his new target, approaching him with Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson.

His eyes narrowed in thought as he figured out the meaning of the mission. Years ago, Jake Wilson broke into Titan's Tower and stole the Red X suit from Robin's vault. While there, he discovered that Cyborg hid porn in his closet, Starfire had a strange maggot-like creature in her room, Beastboy had a journal filled with pages on Terra, Raven actually wore make-up, and a certain briefcase that was in Robin's room. Said briefcase held a picture of the Flying Graysons and a news article about their deaths. Dick Grayson was the only known survivor.

It was years ago that Jake found out that Richard Grayson was Robin. It was months ago, when Jake pieced together that Bruce Wayne was Batman. And now he had to find out how Artemis tied into this.

"Morning, Goddess," The nickname gained a smile from Artemis as Barbara gave them a curious stare. "I see you brought your friends."

Dick glanced at the quite popular quarterback, Jake Cross. The boy was of some class, Dick could tell by the way he dressed, and was nowhere near the dumbest kid in school as many teachers praised his intelligence. But there was something off about the kid. He liked to keep to himself, despite the attention he received from females, and hardly raised a finger towards those who once attempted to bully the new kid.

"It kind of makes eating lunch alone, alone." Jake said to Artemis, Dick now interested in their conversation now.

"Oh. I didn't know that you-" Jake raised a hand.

"It's okay." Jake said as the four found a table and sat down.

"Practice?" Jake frowned at Artemis question until she pointed to his scratched wrists. He nodded. "They really don't take it easy on you, do they?"

"Well the phrase goes," Jake replied nonchalantly. "Same shit, different day."

Dick's eyes widened. That voice! That tone! That phrase! It couldn't be, could it? Jake, calmly realized that Dick was the ward of the world's greatest detective and put two and two together. Though he was quietly hoping that Dick would not be able to, and thus taunt him secretly for a while longer, Jake was prepared for such an event. If Dick revealed who Jake was, then Jake would return the favor and then some.

"X…" Dick's words slowly changed as he stood up. "Excuse me."

As Dick walked off, Jake eyed Barbara.

"Your boyfriend's kind of a birdbrain, don't you think?" Jake asked.

"We're not dating." Barbara stated, causing Jake's brows to rise. "What? Don't believe me?"

"You're around him every second of the day. I only assumed that that's what was going on." Jake said before standing up. "I'm going to run to get a soda. I'll be right back, Goddess."

Jake did not miss the blush on her cheeks as he walked around the corner. Almost instantly, he caught Dick's thrown punch and spun around, pinning the younger boy up against the brick wall.

"Not here." Jake said firmly.

"You're him!" Dick retorted. "You're-"

"You should be thanking me for softening your fall. I could have let you fall two floors, but instead you fell one." Jake said releasing Dick's wrist and stepping back. "Besides, that's only my job, and if you didn't figure it out, I didn't kill her. I was too busy handling the guards in her room."

"You're a criminal!"

"So are you. Or do you not remember working for my dad or wearing the very suit I stole from you?" Dick sneered. "Don't look so angry Birdbrain. As I told you last year, I don't care for your identity. I hold no grudges with Dick Grayson. Your alter ego is a different story."

Dick's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here X?"

"Classes. Enjoying lunch with a friend. You?" Jake returned casually.

"Don't feed me that bull!" Dick demanded.

"You still don't know anything about wearing masks, do you?" Jake replied. "Listen Birdbrain, if I was like you, you wouldn't be standing here. I could've taken you out years ago when I found out your identity. Hell, I could've let Ding Dong Daddy run off with it. But I didn't. And that's because Dick Grayson and I have no beef. In fact, we just met. Don't let your job become your life kid. It never ends well."

"Like I'm going to believe anything you say." Dick said. "You've done nothing but lie from day one, making everyone's lives miserable."

Jake shrugged. "Believe what you want. But again, unless you want people to know who you are, I suggest we do this later. Besides, the girls are waiting for us."

"What do you want with Artemis?" Dick questioned.

"She came to me. I want nothing from her other than someone to talk to at lunch." Dick's eyes narrowed. "Is it hard to believe that I am a normal guy behind the mask? You've worn that mask before and you're not half-bad, Birdbrain."

Dick stared at his longtime rival before releasing a heavy breath. Jake spoke the truth. People were not always as insane or friendly as they pretended to be. He would know, considering he found Raven to be one of his closest friends despite the mystic being very unsociable.

"If I find out that you've done anything, I will take you down." Dick said.

"Let's be honest," Jake said pulling a soda from his pants pocket. "You couldn't beat me on your best day." Dick growled. "Come. The girls wait."

Dick followed the older boy with a sneer. People saw Jake Cross as a decent guy. He was well-liked by his peers and the girls simply kissed the ground he walked on. If only they knew that he was Red X and played a part in Selena Gonzalez's death. Then they would see the guy like Dick did.

Returning to the table, Dick was forced to sit beside his foe while Jake sat across from Artemis.

"Are you okay Dick?" Dick nodded at Barbara, his eyes still glaring at Jake.

Jake saw the younger boy glaring at him though he did not react. He had come across several colleagues and foes outside of their jobs, Raven especially, and knew that there was a difference between the hero/villain and the person behind the mask.

"So," Artemis said. "The game is tonight. You think with those scratches that you'll be able to play okay?"

Jake smiled. "Don't worry about me Goddess. I'll be fine." Jake's eyes moved towards the cloudy October sky. "That is, if the game even happens."

"It's only a forty percent." Barbara announced. "I'm sure you'll be able to throw at least one touchdown."

Jake released a small chuckle, though he wanted to berate the redhead for such a statement. He was a good quarterback, no matter what the weather was, and averaged at least three touchdowns (one game he had thrown six which raised his average) a game. He would get at least three, which would not include those he rushed for.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Artemis said.

"Thanks for the confidence." Jake said, Dick grunting slightly.

"Liar…" The younger teen muttered quietly.

"I'm sorry. Was I stealing Artemis's attention from you?" Jake asked, picking his choice of words carefully. This gave him the reaction he wanted.

Dick's eyes became a hardened stare that told Jake that he was crossing the line somewhere. Barbara's eyes were the same, obviously out of jealousy. And Artemis looked at Dick with mild curiosity as if to be wondering the same thing Jake was.

Finally, Jake grinned.

"I'm kidding Dick. Lighten up." Jake said. "Besides," Jake's brown eyes turned to meet Artemis's gray ones. "Who wouldn't want her attention?"

This new mission was going to be a fun one, Jake thought. He could watch over Artemis, playing her flirting games, while being able to piss Dick off at the same time. And that was too much for him to pass up, regardless of the pay.

* * *

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[October 8, 16:58:03 EST]

Block, duck, spin, dodge, and then block again. Reading Jade's movements were becoming easier thanks to his training with Talia. And while he would prefer to fight in his suit, he sparred with his partner without it, so long as she did not use any of her weapons as well. Though, neither of them were serious at the moment, this being their "bonding" time.

"So," Jade said throwing a punch, only for Jake to easily dodge it. "What's the new mission?"

Sending her a roundhouse kick to the head, which she ducked beneath, Jake casually spoke.

"Watching after some girl at my school." He spotted Jade's brows raise, something that only happened when something piqued her interest. "Artemis Crock. Don't know her- Hey!"

Jake's outburst came when Jade tackled him onto the ground, pinning him.

"Do. Not. Kill. Her." Jade hissed.

Jake allowed his face to show fear to lure Jade into thinking she had him beat. He waited a while, feigning her into loosening her grip just a bit. And once that happened, he had flipped them both, pinning Jade onto the ground with a tighter grip on the collar of her black shirt and one of her knives in his other hand.

"Who is she?" Jake questioned. Jade only glared at her younger teammate, causing Jake to release a grunt. "Tell me Jade."

Realizing that Jade was going to give him the silent treatment, Jake released his grip and moved off of her. Despite this being the first time it has been him to finish their spars as the apparent victor, he did not celebrate at all. In fact, his face remained void of all emotions as he attempted to read Jade. The thief, despite being a fairly blunt person, could mask her emotions quite well. He found it ironic that it was easier to tell what she was thinking with her always-grinning mask on than it was without it.

Jade stood up slowly, preparing herself for any attack Jake might make. There was a standoff between the two before Jake began to relax his posture.

"My sister," Jade finally said as she stood straight up, no longer in her defensive stance. "Artemis Crock is my younger sister."

Jake's eyes widened. He wondered if Jade and Artemis shared the same father for a moment, but eventually assumed they did as Artemis and Sportsmaster had blond hair while Jade's was black. His mission had now become more confusing. Why was he following the daughter of a League member and why didn't Jade get assigned to it? Obviously it would be a lot easier for Jade to follow her sister than it would Jake.

Jake then flipped the blade in his hand, now clutching the blade gently as he held it out to its owner.

"You have my word," Jake said. "I won't kill her, even if I could."

Jade nodded. Jake Cross may be one of the most obnoxious guys to ever plague this planet, but when he was serious about something, he normally made sure that whatever happened. Whether it was taking down a few guards in fewer than three minutes or stealing a diamond because he thought it "looked cool", Jake Cross always attempted to keep his word. Brushing off the fact that Jake had already told her that he does not kill (she had no idea on how Talia's training affected the boy mentally) Jade knew that her sister would not die by his hands due to his promise.

"Don't think that I'll go easier on you." Jake smirked at Jade's statement as she took the knife from his hand.

"You're welcome." Jake told her as he turned for the door. "By the way," Jade's eyes narrowed at his playful tone. "Your sister is hot."

The assassin grunted, but did not throw the knife at the boy's head like half of her wanted. She did not know what the League of Assassins' plan was for Artemis and she knew that questioning Talia or Nyssa would go against the unspoken code to never speak out against someone else's mission. She assumed that Jake was chosen due to him and Artemis going to the same school. But there had to be another reason why Jake was chosen and not someone else.

Maybe it was time to visit her sister in person?

* * *

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[October 8, 21:20:58]

There were two things that Jake has learned in the last two hours that had somehow trumped the thought of Artemis and Jade being sisters. The first thing was that the North Gotham High quarterback was the size of a tank yet threw like a five-year-old girl. The second thing happened moments ago when he tailed Artemis home. After watching her change in her room (something he would do well to _not_ tell Jade), he found out that Artemis was a female Green Arrow. Or at least, she dressed like hero.

Now here he was, perched on a roof, watching the female vigilante take out some pathetic robber. In all honesty, the man had only run off with about a hundred dollars, four cans of beer, and a pack of cigarettes. He could have been let off the hook in Jake's mind. But, Artemis was having none of it and quickly subdued him.

Jake's eyes then picked up on someone moving behind Artemis and things began to click in his head. The man that Artemis had so easily defeated came with a partner who was obviously the driver of the getaway vehicle. If Jake was not such a master thief himself, he would think that the plan was at least halfway decent. But being Red X meant that he could successfully rob a convenient store without the need of backup of any kind.

"Hey!" The second man said, gun pointed at Artemis's back. "You should've-"

Artemis heard the rest of the man's words become muffled and turned to see no one. She looked around, trying to find the man and whatever it as that silenced him. Without Green Arrow nearby, she could only rely on her skills to get her out of this and back home before her mother realizes that she escaped while being grounded.

"Looking for someone?" A new voice said. Artemis quickly turned, bow loaded with two arrows, and glared at the skull-masked thief.

"You!" Artemis hissed. "You're Red X!"

"You know my name," Jake said. "But I don't know yours. So what do I call you, archer?"

Artemis glared at the thief. "You don't need to know."

"You honestly think that I'm here to hurt you?" Red X mused before pointing to the unconscious man lying on the ground beside him. "That's what he was here for. I'm here simply to talk."

"I don't feel like talking." Artemis's fired her two arrows, causing the skull-masked thief to see the resemblance between the archer and her assassin sister.

They were both shoot first ask questions later kind of people.

"Now that wasn't nice." Artemis gasped when Red X's voice came behind her, the thief teleporting to dodge her shot.

Artemis quickly turned, swinging her bow to knock the other vigilante away. He proved to be much better than she had thought, easily catching her bow with one hand. And despite his mask, she swore that she saw the amusement on his face.

"Is this the part that I retaliate?" Jake asked.

Artemis would never get to reply as the boy raised a foot and pushed her away with a kick to her midsection. The space gave her a chance to load another arrow and fire it at Red X, her aim spot on. However, the veteran proved to live up to his reputation, simply craning his neck to dodge the near-fatal shot. The archer went to fire a fourth arrow, only for Red X to release several smoke bombs off around him.

"Can't hit what you can't see." Artemis looked around, trying to find the source of his voice. However, when the smoke cleared, Red X was nowhere in sight. "What's the matter archer? Miss me already?"

"Where are you?!" Artemis demanded.

"I'm in front of you, of course." Jake taunted. "Oh come on. I'm sure someone with your abilities can see me, can't you?"

Jake saw the girl grimace and smiled. His mission was starting to make sense, to a degree. Green Arrow was the mentor of Artemis, which he figured out minutes ago, and the League of Assassins wanted an archer on their side. Or at least, that was one scenario. There was the fact that she was Sportsmaster's daughter that could play a role in her importance. Or maybe they wanted someone close to the Justice League to work with them? Either way, Jake knew that Talia did not want him to kill the blonde girl for a reason and wanted a detailed report by tomorrow.

Artemis felt a small blow to her back and quickly turned to fire an arrow. The arrow flew aimlessly through the air and eventually skipped off of the concrete sidewalk.

"Close." Another tap on her shoulder which caused her to grunt and turn to her right. "Warmer."

"Show yourself!" Artemis roared. No answer. "Hey! X!" Still no answer. Artemis sighed. "Great Artemis. You let him get away."

Jake, who was quietly standing to Artemis's left, raised a brow. He could voice that he had learned her name, but that would give away his position. So he just followed her silently as she fired a grappling hook to the top of a nearby building and scaled upwards. Jake simply teleported to the roof and waited for her to emerge before following her from roof to roof, in the direction of her home. All the while he could hear her mutter about how she greatly disliked Red X.

He smiled. Artemis Crock liked Jake Cross but hated Red X. Then again, they were two different people. One was the quarterback who was just trying to graduate high school and the other was a thief looking out for number one. Of course, there were similarities. The two both had a problem with Slade/Deathstroke and missed Adeline and Rose/Ravager dearly. He found that he and his counterpart, Jake, found the Crock sisters and their alter egos to be quite interesting. And attractive. Jade/Cheshire and Artemis were both attractive. They were just so feisty and, in Jade's case, sadistic.

Perched on a building on the opposite side of Artemis's apartment, Jake watched her slip into her window before turning around. He was a thief, not a Peeping Tom. Seeing her change once today was enough for him, despite liking the private show he was giving. Ending his camouflage for only a second, Jake soon found himself on his stomach with a foot pressed on his back.

"Were you watching her change?!" The voice was hardly above a whisper, but Jake knew it all too well.

"Yes. Because I have eyes in the back of my head!" he argued. His partner did not remove her foot, only pressing harder. "Seriously Jade, I just followed her home because it's my freaking mission!"

"Like-" Cheshire's words were interrupted when Jake teleported and appeared behind her, landing a flipping dropkick to her back. The assassin stumbled forward and hit an air unit. "Damn it!"

"Can we go now?" Jake asked. His teammate quickly turned to glare at him, her sai in her hands. "Come on Jade, my mission is to follow her around. Not find out her bra size. Though from just looking at her I can guess that they're probably a-"

"I will kill you if you finish that statement." Cheshire threatened.

Red X crossed his arms. "For someone who hasn't spoken about their sister until now, you're really protective over her."

"Just like you are." Jade shot back.

Realizing she had a point, Jake moved for the ledge.

"Meet me for a burger. I'll tell you there." Before Jade could even reject the offer, the boy had vanished.

Jade glanced into her sister's room from her spot, watching Artemis close the blinds before turning to chase after Jake. If only he knew the childhood they had…


	5. Chapter 5

Ch.04: Rage

[Bludhaven, New Jersey]  
[October 23, 09:12:55 EST]

Jake yawned behind his mask which gained him a glare from his teammate. He ignored her, knowing exactly what she was going to tell him. Then again, with a brutal football game, a robbery, and tailing Artemis all night, who could blame him for being tired? But Jade had wholeheartedly agreed with Talia (which was pretty rare) that Jake should stop trying to be, well, Jake and focus on being Red X. Red X was who the League of Assassins wanted. Jake was just some unwanted extra to the deal.

"Alright," Jake said. "What are we waiting for?"

"Do you ever pay attention to what Talia tells us?" Jade questioned.

"Too busy staring at her." Jade rolled her eyes behind her mask.

"We're here to simply grab some chemicals and leave. Nothing more and nothing less." Jade told her younger teammate. "So don't fall asleep just yet."

Jake nodded, knowing this was just Jade's way of saying that she will need him later. She honestly did not have a care to rob from others unless it was an order, and even then Jade hated thievery. Jade had told Jake that there were no codes amongst thieves, but there was one amongst assassins. Jake did not know whether the assassin part was true or not, but there was a code amongst thieves that every thief, including himself, followed. At the end of the day, it's every man or woman for themselves. And that was the best code to follow.

"Hey," Jade said catching Jake's attention once more. "How many cops are there?"

Jake used the thermal scanner to search the area. It was no surprise to him when he found four hidden men around the area. Whoever was smuggling the chemicals into the harbor was not very discreet about it. Either that or they were doing a bad job in trying to be secretive.

"Four." was Red X's answer. "Though if we're not quick, more will probably be here."

"Then we'd better hurry." Cheshire told him. The thief just nodded his head. "That's your cue to go, dumbass."

"Whatever you say, cutie." Jade rolled her eyes beneath her mask as the teen simply vanished. No matter how useful he tends to be, Jake Cross would always be the biggest nuisance on this planet.

Jake appeared on a stack of crates, overlooking the deal beneath him. From his viewpoint, he could see two of the four cops as well as the two men bringing the chemicals assure. Talia's orders were to handle the crates with the upmost care, so he could not just rush in there like he wanted. Jake prepared to do his mission before he paused to yawn.

_"Are you kidding me?"_ Jake heard from his partner.

"Guess my communicator picks up more than I'd like." Jake said quietly. "I'm making my move."

_"I'm serious, fall asleep out there and I'm going to kill you."_ Cheshire threatened.

"Glad you care." the thief muttered as he retrieved a handful of smoke bombs. "Cover me, I'm going in."

Without another word, Jake created the smoke screen in the area. Switching his thermal vision on, he watched what those in the area would do first before just leaping in. He did not want to take the chance that someone else could be tracking him via thermal scanning as well.

"It's X!" Jake sighed heavily. Of course this mission was not as easy as it appeared. _Nothing_ was as easy as it appears.

Flipping off the crates to dodge the bullets sent his way, Jake landed on the ground and looked around. The cop that was previously in this small aisle was gone and he had no idea where the man went.

"Damn…" Jake said before hearing gunshots being fired. "Looks like the fun has started."

_"We need to get the stuff and go! Backup is on its way!"_ Cheshire told her partner through their communicators.

"Roger that." Jake responded as he rounded a corner and eyed his prize. "There you are."

Jake's small moment of content was ruined when he saw one of the thugs smuggling the stuff into the port grab the crate and take off. Grunting, Jake ran after the man. Sure, firing one of his X-constructs would have worked _if_ the man was not carrying the chemicals that Talia had said to be careful with. He did not want to risk the crate dropping and something horribly wrong happening.

_"X! Get your ass over here!"_ Jake idly rolled his eyes beneath his mask at the sound of Jade's voice. _"There're too many of them!"_

Red X paused before flicking a small red X towards the man he was pursuing, watching it land on his left shoulder. With the tracker successfully placed, Jake used his suit to teleport him near Jade's location, or where she should have been. He ended up on top of a few crates, watching Jade battle quite the number of cops. He was mildly impressed that Cheshire was actually holding her own while dodging shots fired from the three cops at a safe distance.

"I don't know why you called me," Jake taunted. "It looks like you have them from here."

Jake watched Jade roll onto her feet. The five cops she was battling now had her surrounded, not to mention the three that were still aiming at her from a distance.

_"When we get back to base,"_ Cheshire's voice came through. _"I'm going to kill you!"_

It was at that moment that one of the nervous officers in the back fired, hitting Jade in her leg. The young woman let out an uncharacteristic yelp and fell to the ground while Jake watched in horror. His mind, as elaborate as he made it, returned to the thoughts of his uncle stabbing Rose in the left eye while he was too weak to do anything about it.

He'd be damned if he ever felt that weak again.

"Move in, we have her- Ahh!" Cheshire looked up to see that Jake had surprising electrocuted the cop closest to her. Just from his composure she knew that he was pissed. With or without his mask on, Jade had seen enough spars between Talia and Jake to know when the boy was done joking around. And amazingly, it actually scared her.

"The first one to move will end up like him." Jake said pointing to the smoking body on the ground to his right. "Any volunteers?"

Slade, his father, had taught him times before to never take your eye off of a man with a gun unless he was dead. In this case, there were _men_ with _guns_ but the same lesson applied here. He was preparing his suit to make another teleport, this time behind the armed officers. But when his eyes landed on Jade, he realized that there was no time to wait. They had to pay for what they did.

"Where'd he go?" Jade was also wondering that question when Red X simply vanished from his spot.

"Ah!" the cry of pain had caused, not only the cops, but Cheshire to quickly turn their heads.

Red X stood there, twisting the arm of one of the gunman. From the angle the arm was turned, Jade theorized that it was either dislocated or completely broken altogether. Jade wanted to call out to him in order to understand what this rage was about, but the boy quickly slung the cop with the broken arm to the second shooter. This left one cop holding his gun pointed to Red X in his shaking hands.

"You should run." Red X threatened. The cop attempted to do so and turned around, only to see the menacing skull-masked thief. "Too late."

Jade's eyes went wide when Red X palmed the man's face with an electrocuting X. She thought Jake had killed the officer, something Jake did not do. If she doubted it before, she didn't now. A serious Jake Cross was definitely something she was not used to and slightly afraid of.

"Fire!" one of the four cops that surrounded Cheshire ordered.

He vanished again. Jade wondered just how much Xenothium Jake had to be wasting it on this one battle. His suit was pretty much a guzzler of the stuff, even with the enhancements Ra's had given him.

"You missed." His voice sent chills down their spines, even Cheshire's, as none of them spotted him standing _beside_ his fallen partner.

Before anyone could react, Jake shot an X into the air. The four points of the X struck each of the four officers before pulling them together.

"I'm stuck!"

"We all are!"

Cheshire wished she could see a smirk on Jake's face, or at least believe that he was happy. But she couldn't. As the four officers attempted to peel their chests off of one another, her partner neither made a snide comment nor let out an annoying chuckle. She could practically see the eye lens narrow in anger.

And then began the beat down. It was almost inhumane, even for Jade's standards, as the officers were completely defenseless. They were stuck to one another, facing each other in a four-way circle. Only their backs faced their opponent who brutally picked them off one by one until the last man was forced to collapse due to the weight of his fallen teammates. But Jake would not stop there. He would make sure that all four of them were unconscious before turning his attention to Cheshire.

"What's eaten you?" Jade prayed for an annoying comment. The boy had practically snapped in front of her and she was injured with a bullet wound. Fighting him in their current state was the last thing she wanted.

"I'll be back." Jade opened her mouth but he vanished before she could say anything. Her mind replayed the events of what just happened before sighing quietly.

Just who was Jake Cross?

* * *

[Jake's Apartment; Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[October 23, 14:41:04 EST]

The mission was successful. Ra's had his precious chemical for whatever and Jade was being treated for her wound. Yet Jake was still slightly pissed. Not at the officers as he had rightfully given them what they deserved. But he was angry at himself. Jade, much like his mother and sister, was hurt because he could not save her. Worse, Jake had the chance to stop Jade from being shot yet didn't.

Knocking on his door had Jake rising from his meditating position on his couch and move for the door. He normally did not receive any visitors and dared it be someone he did not want to. They would be on the receiving end of misplaced aggression, that's for sure.

However, opening the door, Jake raised a brow.

"They released you already?" The young woman gave Jake a small nod. "Glad to know."

"What was that back there?" Jade questioned.

The older teen saw the boy give her a cold glare before he motioned her to come inside. She did so, though she seriously did not trust Jake fully. He was a thief and someone who had already betrayed her once. Well, he betrayed the Brotherhood of Evil while she was still apart of it. Either way, she knew that Red X looked out for number one and two people could not be number one. He would probably betray her before she could get the chance to do the same to him.

"That," Jake began as Jade sat on his couch. Her leg still hurt quite badly though she refused the use of crutches. "Is what happens when I'm angry."

"No way." The assassin retorts sarcastically. "I know that. I want to know why you got so upset."

Jake crossed the room, staring out the window now. His silence irked Jade to the point that she wanted to choke the answer out of him. However, he simply took in a deep breath before looking at Jade.

"I hid in a closet while my mom was shot down by some assassin." The news caused Jade to gasp quietly. "I was simply tossed aside and watched my uncle jab a knife into my sister's eye. All in all, I don't like the feeling of being weak and defeated. Not when there's someone that needs me."

Jade snorted. "I didn't need you. I could've taken them out, hurt leg or not."

"I'm sure you could." Jake said. "But that's what that was."

"So is that why you don't kill?" Jade asked.

"No." His voice now held so much hatred that Jade prepared herself for a bout with him. "I don't kill because there is only one person that I want to kill. I don't know who he is, but I swear that I will kill the man that killed my mother. In his home while his children can hear everything we say." Jade raised her brows. "One in the forehead two in the chest. Just like he did my mom."

Jade knew that Jake had some problems, but nothing like this. The boy was nearly consumed by vengeance. He wanted to avenge his mother. He wanted to avenge his sister. He wanted revenge on his uncle. She knew better than most that vengeance normally caused one to make a stupid mistake and ultimately lose their life. This is why she holds a grudge against her father, but does nothing to even the score.

"I'm guessing this means that I can't date your sister now that you know all of my problems, huh?" And just like that, the annoying boy was back and Jade grimaced.

"As if you'd be good enough for her." Jade returned as she rose. "Just remember to use that rage before I get shot next time."

"You're welcome." Jake told her.

"I never said thank you." Jade said.

"I read your thoughts." Jake joked. "You thought that and how good looking I was when I opened the door."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself Junior."

"Anything for you Sunshine."

Jade did not understand how one boy could get under her skin so much. Yet, and the truly frightening part was, she needed him in a way. He was a vital part to their team and she was starting to see that.

"Next mission," Jade said. "We move on my mark."

"Understood." Jake said as she hobbled to the door. "See you then, partner."

"Always, partner."

Jake watched the girl leave his apartment before returning his sight back out of his window. Was Jade finally warming up to him? He smirked a bit. Yeah. She totally was.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch.05: Dates

[Gotham Academy: Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 5, 12:20:37 EST]

Jake rested against a wall, his eyes casually glancing at the blonde girl talking to her two female companions. When he took the mission, he did not know that he would have to follow her almost all day. Nyssa had made it very clear that she did not want Artemis out of Jake's sight for more than an hour. But of course, Jake had a reason to give Artemis her privacy. Jade.

The one thing Jake has learned about his sadistic teammate is that she was human. Jade felt pain like a regular human, or at least one that had been trained. And like an older sister should, Jade felt obliged to watch over Artemis from time to time. Thus, if Jake ever did decide to peep on Artemis during the girl's private moments, he would have to tread rather carefully or deal with an irate Jade. That was something he did not want to.

"Who's your partner?" Jake's eyes slowly moved to Dick, who sported a nice black eye from Cheshire. She had been itching to get back on the field and Dick- more like Robin- just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I don't have a partner." Jake answered casually. "Now, as for the other guy, his partner is named Cheshire."

"I know that! I want to know who she is!" Dick snapped back. Jake only shrugged. "You know who she is, don't you?"

"If she wanted you or me to know who she was, do you think she would be wearing a mask?" Jake saw how his taunting affected Dick and smirked. "Come on Birdbrain. Even you had to see that one coming."

"When I find out who she is-"

"You'll be in a world of trouble." Jake interrupted. "Women are naturally dangerous, but a woman assassin backed into the corner of her own home? You're just asking for trouble."

Jake noted that Dick did not verbally reply, but nodded. Truth be told, Jake had tracked down where Jade was staying. And although he successfully snuck into her rundown apartment with little trouble, escaping when she found him was hard. Instead of using the crutch to walk on, she attempted to beat him senseless with it. Thankfully Jake has gained more evasive knowledge from Talia and was able to escape without being too injured. Unfortunately, Jade was walking around now meaning she could get her revenge at any time now.

And he was waiting for it.

"Tell me something," Jake began as his eyes went back to Artemis, Barbara, and Bette. "Why is the League after Artemis?"

"That's a question I should be asking you." Jake frowned. "Sources say that Red X has been showing up wherever she is. More than a coincidence if you ask me."

"If you want the truth," Jake began his lie. "I didn't follow her those three times. Two of those times she's attempted to stop me from doing what I do best, and you know how I hate that." Dick's brow rose. "The third time… Well let's just say that someone else was on my turf and I don't like being second to anyone. Artemis just showed up."

"You're toying with her." Dick said.

"Aren't we all?" Jake questioned. Dick shrugged his shoulders. "I take it that your team is going to be guarding her now?"

"I'm the only one that knows who she is."

Jake's smirk returned. "Searching through daddy's computer? Maybe we're not so different after all."

Dick was going to retaliate, but Jake spoke the truth. The only reason he knew who Artemis was, was through Bruce's computer. If he had run into the archer on any given night without that knowledge, he might've sworn that someone was trying to take Roy's place at being Speedy. However, he knew the truth and was sworn to keep it from his teammates.

A thought occurred to Dick as Jake stood up straight and began walking away.

"How'd you find out about her secret?" Dick asked.

"You think your dad's the only one with files on everyone?" was the thief's response.

Dick frowned as he crossed his arms. While he wanted to disbelieve Jake, there really was no evidence that Jake or Red X was following Artemis. In truth, it was painfully obvious that Artemis had a crush on Jake. This is why the two were seen together at school and sometimes afterwards. Plus, there were break-ins reported during the times that Red X and Artemis met. So Jake could be telling the truth.

Though Dick detested those thoughts and quickly erased them.

* * *

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 5, 15:55:02 EST]

Jake walked down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. The person accompanying him at the moment was also casually walking, though she had yet to give him a reason why they were walking together. Though it was a bit too obvious. However, Jake would complete his mission by any means necessary. Even if that meant walking Artemis home from time to time.

"So," Artemis began. "If you're free tonight, we could go catch a movie."

"Maybe." Jake said as he thought about when Talia or Jade might pop in to give him some sort of mission.

"Do you and Dick know each other?" The question caused Jake to chuckle. He shook his head for no, though Artemis was not buying it. "Come on, you two seem to know a lot about each other. Plus, no one gets under his skin like you do."

"I have a natural talent for it." Jake responded, mentally adding Jade to the list of people he just seems to annoy naturally. "Dick and I met earlier this year. It was at one of the Wayne's charity functions." Artemis nodded a bit. "But I didn't start talking to the guy until you brought him over to my table. I've always found him to be a little…"

"Childish?" Artemis suggested. When Jake nodded, she smiled. "Yeah, Barbara says the same thing."

"She's a smart girl." There was a pregnant pause that followed before Jake sighed. "Tonight would be a good night to catch a movie." Jake saw the smile on Artemis's face grow. "I could pick you up around seven-ish?"

"Cool! I mean, great." Jake raised an eyebrow. "It's-"

"You're okay with that. I get it Goddess." Jake interrupts as they stepped to her apartment complex. "See you tonight?"

"Sure." Artemis said before taking walking up a couple of steps. "Jake, thanks."

"Oh no," Jake replied. "You're gracing me with your company. It's I who should be thanking you, Goddess."

Artemis smiles once more and disappears into the complex. Jake continues down the sidewalk while his eyes were roaming the rooftops of every building. He had the strangest feeling that he was about to fall prey to a cat-like woman. And while falling prey to Catwoman wouldn't be as bad as it sounded, she was not the person he was thinking about. It was his assassin partner Cheshire that he feared was following him and he feared that for two reasons.

Reason one: Jade genuinely cared for her younger sister and didn't think Jake met those boyfriend standards.

Reason two: Cheshire owed Red X a severe beating for breaking into her home and raiding her drawers.

* * *

[Jake's Apartment: Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 5, 16:26:58 EST]

Jake stepped out of his bathroom in nothing but his towel. Despite his date with Artemis not being for hours now, he needed a shower to relieve himself of stress. His body seemed to agree as the warm waters calmed him mentally and physically. However, once he closed his bedroom door, his senses kicked back in and he glanced to see his partner lying across his bed reading a magazine.

"I hope you weren't expecting Playboy. They cost too much." Jake joked as Jade flipped through the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. Jade casually glanced at him before returning to the material. "Not that it matters or anything, but why are you here again?"

"Nyssa said that you are needed for some training. She sent me to get you." Jade answered.

"And you just so happened to break in when I'm naked? I'm not buying it." When Jake saw the anger flash over his older teammate, he smiled. "I'm kidding."

"You'd better be." While she was clearly dressed in her Cheshire uniform, Jake could not spot her mask anywhere.

"You know, I can't do any missions with you tonight." Jake stated.

Jade frowned. "And why not?"

"I have a date," Jake paused and smirked. "With your sister."

Despite his warnings to Dick earlier, Jake could not help but taunt Jade no matter what. Sure, she was a woman assassin and he had just told Dick not to tempt fate with said gender of killers, but he honestly could not help it. Jade's angered facial expressions were becoming somewhat of a sick turn-on for him. He would rank it number two of his more exciting things to do, only behind a grand heist.

"A date?" Jade finally said. Jake nodded, waiting for some physical retaliation. However, the young woman merely turned her attention back to the reading material in her hands. "Don't be a dick. If you can help it."

"Are you going to leave so I can get dressed?" Jake asked.

Jade gave him a small glance. "Too embarrassed to show your smallest tool to your partner?" Jade saw Jake grimaced. "I kind of figured you weren't as big as you make yourself out to be."

Jake ignored her as he went to grab his clothes from the bed. He paused in his reach for his boxers as an idea crossed his mind. If Jade wanted to play games with him, he would see just how far she was willing to play.

"What are you doing?" Jade questioned when she saw Jake letting his towel unwrap.

"Getting dressed. This is my room, isn't it?" he replied. "I can understand if you've never seen a man's-"

"Ugh!" Jade gave Jake a strong kick to his gut, causing him to nearly drop due to the lack of air. "You're disgusting!"

Jake smirked as she stormed out of his door. That went exactly as he planned.

* * *

[CineMaxx Theater: Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 5, 19:41:00 EST]

Jake had noticed something off about Artemis the moment he picked her up. From the weak smile she had given him when he arrived to her solemn facial expression now, he knew that something was wrong. The problem was what this mysterious problem was.

"So what movie do you want to see?" It was the first time that Artemis had actually glanced at the choices. When Artemis finally chose one and Jake paid for the tickets, Jake gave her the question that's been bugging him. "What's wrong with you?"

Artemis shrugged. "Nothing."

Jake frowned. This "nothing" was going to bother him and he did not even know why. Once more, it brought him back to his former days with his sister. Whenever Rose would be angry- most likely at their mom- she would run off and keep her problems to herself. It took much prying on Jake's behalf to get Rose's side of the story from Rose and took more patience to wait for Rose to calm down.

His sister had some serious anger issues as a kid.

"Do you want to talk about this 'nothing'?" Jake asked as the two entered the building.

Artemis looked at him, obviously contemplating on whether she should or should not. Jake honestly did not care either way, so long as whatever it was didn't interfere in his mission in staying near Artemis.

Finally Artemis sighed.

"I saw my dad earlier today." It took all of Jake's willpower not to show any kind of reaction. It was no secret that Sportsmaster wasn't getting the Father of the Year award in this lifetime. "He…"

"What?" Jake asked, pulling Artemis to a small bench to sit.

"He asked me to join him." Now Jake's eyes widened. Was this what his mission was about? Was he just here to woo Artemis into joining the League of Assassins?

"What did you say?" Jake questioned.

"I told him to leave." Artemis's words showed that she had some regret about those words. "I guess…"

"You just want a family?" Artemis gave Jake a confused look but then nodded. "I understand what you're saying. More than you know."

Slade had come back for Jake and Rose. Rose left with their dad and Jake stayed. And in the end, Jake ended up working with his father while Rose…

"My mom threatened to call the cops if he returned." Artemis announced.

Jake mentally questioned: "Would that stop him?" but instead changed his question to hide his knowledge from the blonde.

"Is he that bad?" Artemis nods. "Oh… Is there anything I can do to help?"

Not really, Jake thinks to himself. He knew better than to challenge Sportsmaster at this time. Maybe if Jade helped, but not by himself. Of course, there was Deathstroke who could either help his partner or his son. That factor, depending on which way Slade voted, could be the deciding factor.

"I don't want to drag you into my family drama." Artemis says with a smile.

Too late.

"I understand." Jake replied. "How about we get some snacks and get ready for the movie?"

"Sure." Artemis stated.

Jake gave her a small smile. The four of them were in some serious jam. Jake was friends with Artemis Crock but Red X was becoming a common foe for Artemis the archer. Artemis Crock had a crush on Jake Cross but Artemis the archer had a hatred for Red X. If Artemis Crock was in danger and Red X saved her, she would probably have mixed feelings but be thankful to be saved. If Jake Cross was in danger and Artemis the archer saved him, he would also have mix feelings yet be grateful of her rescue. The complications came when Artemis the archer was in danger and Red X saved her or vice versa.

"Jake," Artemis stated. "Thank you."

Jake gave the girl a grin while he was mentally questioning what she was thanking him for. He wondered if she would be thanking him if she knew that he worked with her father. He doubted that she would be as thankful. And he did not know how angry she would be if she knew that he worked with her father as her _sister's_ partner.

Jake sighed quietly. He wondered if Tara and Raven got to live the normal lives that they wanted.

* * *

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 5, 20:35:29 EST]

It was thirty minutes into the movie that Jake received a call from Jade. He attempted to ignore it, but after the third call, he knew it was important. But that's not what the strange moment was. The strange moment was when Artemis claimed that she forgot to do something at home and practically ran out of the theater. Jake waited ten minutes before leaving as well.

Now as Red X, Jake raced his X-cycle through the streets of Gotham. Jade had given him a few details about her location, but nothing about who she was fighting. Parking his bike in front of a large building, Jake realized that this must be the place or someone had knocked out several windows for some other apparent reason.

"Oh Jade…" Jake said before cutting his earpiece on. "Alright, I'm here. Where are you?"

_"The roof. And get here now!"_ Jake rolled his eyes behind his mask.

"So commanding." Jake said before firing a grappling hook for the top of the building. Sure teleporting would have been quicker, but he had no idea what was up there. However, when he reached the roof he immediately saw the problem. "…"

"So," Green Arrow stated. "There's another one of you, huh? Doesn't matter." Jake saw the hero take aim at him. "I'll beat you both."

"Sorry. The only blonde in green that I have eyes for is about thirty years younger than you old man." Red X replied.

"I hate comedians." The archer said as he fired the arrow towards the thief.

Jade watched as her partner slashed the arrow with the wrist-mounted saw blades. The blades spun quite noisily as Red X stared down his opponent.

"The moment you heal," Cheshire's brows rose beneath her mask, knowing he was talking to her. "You go fight a member of the Justice League. And you call me the idiot."

Cheshire, now gripping her sai, growled.

"I'll deal with you later for that." The young woman said. "For now, let's take finish this."

Jake nodded before following Cheshire as she charged toward the Green Arrow. The archer instantly back pedaled for a number of reasons. The main one, being obvious as ever, was his caution about being hit by one of Jake's blades. The thief was a well-known threat amongst the members of the Justice League as one of the more evasive thieves there was. It was noted that his full potential has never been revealed and his identity was as far from known. Even Robin, the boy who had encountered Red X the most, had given no clues on who the skull-masked vigilante could be.

Oliver Queen has always been quite prideful about his fighting abilities, but even he admitted that the teamwork between Cheshire- a well-known assassin- and Red X- the evasive thief- was practically flawless. He was the defensive one as they backed him to the edge of the roof. A kick from Red X had the archer slide to the edge where he stopped.

"Should've picked another annoying girl to fight. This one is with me." Red X mocked him.

Red X craned his head dodging an arrow that would have seriously wounded him, if not killed him.

"And maybe you should've picked another teacher to fight. This one is mine." Cheshire did not give the newcomer a look, though Red X turned his body completely to see Artemis preparing another arrow. "One more chance. Leave."

Jade was a little annoyed when Jake stopped his blades. While she wanted her sister alive, she did not want Jake to take Artemis lightly.

"Hello Archer," Cheshire rolled her eyes. It was one thing hearing about Jake flirting with her sister, it was another to actually witness it. "What a lovely night, don't you think?"

"This time, I'm taking you in." Artemis declared aiming at the thief. "Whether you like it or not."

"Oh how I would _love_ for you to take me in…" Red X mused.

In an instance, Cheshire stuck her hand out to her partner, who grabbed it and twirled. The act was to knock Green Arrow's bow out of his hand, which Cheshire successfully did with a kick, and sling the assassin towards her sister. Red X may not have super strength, but he was clearly strong enough to give Cheshire an added boost in speed if he pushed or slung her like he did. And while Jake witnessed Cheshire capitalize on Artemis's shock, he turned his attention to the veteran archer.

The male blond on the roof was stunned when the thief and assassin seemed to pull the move out of their asses, but quickly snapped back to the fight at hand. While dodging and blocking most of Red X's blows, he quickly assess why the disbanded Teen Titans had such a hard time dealing with the skull-masked vigilante. His strikes were precise and well-powered for one his size. Green Arrow questioned if the suit gave him the power to do this or if it was the man's or boy's true strength. If it was the suit, then the hard part was just detaching the suit from the person wearing it. If it was the wearer's strength…

A kick landed into Jake's stomach, but instead of flinching or crouching in pain, he simply grabbed the man's leg. With a sharp elbow strike to the back of the knee, Jake figured he had successfully injured his opponent to land some strikes.

And he had.

The archer hobbled while taking punches to the gut and arms. Those to the face were blocked or dodged. Oliver Queen would _never_ be seen with a shiner from some second-rate thief. With those thoughts in his head, he sent Jake a quick right jab that met its mark. The boy, however, looked hardly fazed.

"What are they feeding this kid?' Oliver silently questioned.

As for Jake, the punch had done little damage to him for two very good reasons. Reason one, his mask was pretty solid despite not restricting him of air. He had almost complete protection without limiting the amount of oxygen available to him. The second reason was due to his training. The al Ghul sisters did not relent in their training with Jake and there were times when Jade had hit him harder than he predicted. Therefore, he has learned to take a blow, though he would still prefer to dodge the shot completely.

"Duck!" The order came from his partner.

Moving out of the way in time, Jake heard the arrow whizz by, the air whistling as it did so. It was at that moment that he saw a green boot making its way to his face and was sent toppling backwards.

"Damn…" Jake muttered. That kick hurt more than he expected. "I guess talking is out of the question now."

"Kid," Green Arrow said loading his bow. "Talking has been out of the question."

Jake did not even give the archer time to fire before he teleported from his spot. With his main target out of sight, Oliver lined up with Cheshire, who was singlehandedly beating his apprentice as if she was child's play. He pulled back on the string before a taunting voice stopped him.

"Ah, ah, ah," Artemis froze at the cold object against her neck. "Kill my partner and I kill yours."

"You wouldn't." Jade mentally agreed with the hero, but said nothing as the bluff allowed her to slowly move to the edge of the building.

"I'm an assassin. It's what I do on a daily basis." Jake's bluff worked as the Green Arrow's focus was solely on him. "How about I spare your beautiful archer and we go on like nothing happened, hmm?"

"Whether you kill her or not," Green Arrow said, his eyes narrowed. "There's no way you're going to dodge this next arrow."

Artemis gasped when she saw Jake extend his right arm in front of her. His wrist-mounted blades now out and spinning dangerously close to her. Maybe, she figured, Green Arrow was right? Maybe there were things that were people just too dangerous for her to take on by herself. Cheshire had easily beaten her and now Red X was threatening to kill her.

"Let her go X." Green Arrow demanded. "Final warning."

Jake chuckled. "You're warning me? I doubt you have the balls to look her innocent mother in the eyes and tell her that it is your fault that she died." The thief sighed. "But, if that's how you want it."

Artemis was not going to scream. That's what she continued to tell herself as she saw the arm jerk. Her mentor fired an arrow that would probably hit the vigilante behind her a second after the saw chopped her head off.

But none of that happened.

A sai from Cheshire had successfully blocked the arrow, and a second later, the two assassins were gone. Artemis was able to release the breath she was holding and drop to her knees.

"Do you see why I wanted you to join the Team? Going against those two is hard for me." Artemis nodded as the man limped over towards her. "Come on. Let's get you home."

"Sure…" The girl said as she rose to her feet.

* * *

[Artemis's Apartment: Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 5, 21:18:54 EST]

Jake watched the girl smile at him as she neared her window. He had to admit that her current attire enticed him in ways that Jade would castrate him for. Artemis wore a rather large shirt and he assumed she wore shorts beneath. Her long blonde hair was down and flowing behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Artemis whispered as she opened her window.

Jake shrugged. "Just wanted to see you. You kind of bailed on me earlier, remember?"

"I'm sorry. I had something to do." she told him before frowning. "How'd you know which room was mine?"

"I kind of knocked on a few ones already and got some seriously hideous looking people." Artemis's smile became quiet chuckles as Jake rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous fashion. "Safe to say that I'm no Casanova."

"More like Romeo." Artemis told him. "And I'm free tomorrow. We can catch the movie again if that's alright. I'll even pay."

Jake shook his head. "No. I'll pay. I won't even tell you how it ends."

"Thanks. After what happened tonight, that's exactly what I need. A break." Artemis told him before sighing quietly. "I'm really glad to have you…" Artemis paused. "Here! I'm glad to have you here, is what I mean."

Jake chuckled. "I will always be here for you, Goddess."

On the roof, Jade found herself seething. She could hear the entire thing thanks to the microphone that Jake had just planted on the window. Honestly, the assassin did not know why she was so angry. Jake had a mission to follow her sister and he was doing that mission better than half the League of Assassins could ever do. Jake was Artemis's best friend and apparently love interest. Red X was a common foe of the girl who appeared randomly. He was a huge part of Artemis's life, the school-girl and the archer. But something inside of Jade would not allow her to listen to this innocent flirting and be happy that the mission was going well. She raced through all the possibilities before she silently gasped at a random thought.

Could she be jealous?


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** I'm pleased to how this story is turning out, which is why I was thinking of doing a spin-off following Ravager's life. It, much like this one, will be posted once a month or bi-monthly depending on my time and the story's response. Let me know what you think. Until then, here is the next chapter.

* * *

Ch. 06: Meetings

[Happy Harbor, Rhode Island]  
[November 7, 12:33:06 EST]

Jake was confused.

Jade was pissed at him. That was pretty much obvious since she had been more domineering while doing their mission. She didn't even throw in a wise crack when they got the mission to kill some rich man who had somehow shorted _the_ Lex Luthor out of some money. And now that they had changed out of their costumes and put their alter egos to rest, Jake was truly confused as to why Jade wouldn't even _look_ at him.

"I'm going back." Jade said to him. "Don't take forever."

Jake raised a brow. "Are you going to tell me what I did?"

"Figure it out." Jake snorted a bit.

"You sound like your sister." The statement was the wrong one to say as he was forced to block the punch that came after it. "Alright, go. I'll figure it out."

Jade let out an "hmph" and turned to leave. He figured that her mode of transportation would be something public while he could hop on his X-cycle and race back to Gotham. Jade obviously did not want to be close to him for whatever the reason and did not want a ride from him.

Knowing when it was best to leave his murderous partner alone, Jake chose that moment to wander around the town known as Happy Harbor. It was smaller than Gotham and a lot more… Cheerful. Gotham City had a rather gloomy feeling about it and there were actual weeks of nothing but dark skies and rain. Happy Harbor was almost the polar opposite of Gotham, and three times more pleasant than Bludhaven.

Then he saw a familiar blonde that had him slightly shocked.

With the skills that only Red X could give him, Jake followed the girl. Despite her everyday clothing and rather cheerful expression, he knew exactly who she was. Or rather, who she was.

The girl moved into a library, Jake following her. He found that the central library was quite busy and he nearly lost his target. She had wandered onto an empty aisle and he had thankfully caught up to her in time to see her do so. Unfortunately, she had caught on and forcefully grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"What do you want?" The girl asked angrily.

"Blonde doesn't suit you, Sunshine." Jake teased as he pried his shirt out of her grip. "The blue is much better."

The dark-eyed girl rolls her eyes before her hair takes on a longer dark blue appearance. Jake grinned slightly.

"So," Jake said casually as he leaned against a bookshelf casually. "What are you doing here in Happy Harbor? Last time we spoke, you attempted to put me in a coma and fled to Africa or something like that."

Raven glared at him. "If I'd attempted to put you in a coma, you'd be in a coma. And as for why I'm here, that's none of your business."

"Uh-huh? So are you joining this new team or not?" Her glare was her only response, though Jake hardly paid it any attention. "I see. So you gave them a rejection letter. Birdbrain wasn't happy about that, was he?"

Raven's eyes softened a bit. "No, he wasn't. But I've explained to him why I will not join and he understands."

"I doubt Birdbrain understands half the things people tell him. I should know. I do go to school with him." Raven lifted a brow in amusement. "You should join us. You know, the son of an assassin, the adopted son of a hero, and the daughter of a demon in one place could make one hell of a sitcom."

"I'd rather not." Raven mused. "And I thought I told you once that you cannot sneak up on me? You're almost as bad as Gar- Beast Boy."

Jake shrugged. "I saw a challenge."

"Has your partner killed any people recently?" Jake's eyes narrowed.

"Are you reading my mind or are you asking?" he questioned.

"So who was it?"

Jake only sighed. Raven was one of the few people to know who he was and did not attempt to kill him for his crimes. Instead, they had been quite civil during their meetings as Jake and Raven.

"I honestly don't know." Jake finally said. "Just another paycheck."

The mystic's lips thinned. "You're starting to sound more and more like him everyday."

Jake now glared at the girl. Who she was referring to as "him" was his father. The same man that had somehow joined forces with her father to destroy the world in exchange for life. The same man who constantly toyed with the Teen Titans for the hell of it. And the very same man that destroyed countless of stores and shops in Jump City and claimed it was "just another day at the job."

"I'm not becoming like him." Jake said.

"That's good to know." Raven said, her hair changing back to the blonde disguise she previously had.

"So are you no longer doing the hero gig? I used to love our meetings." Jake said. The girl just rolled her eyes. "Hey, we don't get to make our destinies, remember? That's what you said."

"We're each giving a purpose Jake." Raven said. "Mine is to stop my father from destroying the world, not helping some old woman cross the street."

"And mine?" questioned the thief.

"To leave me the hell alone and stop finding me." Her response gained a quiet laugh from Jake. "I'm going to get a book. I'm going to read it. And I'm going to have silence. If you need a shrink, go find one."

"Hmm, I don't know many people who can read emotions and tell me how I'm feeling." Raven's eyes let off a red glow. "But since we're getting angry, I'll just leave."

"If you want to know," Raven said as she turned around. "She's jealous."

Jake smirked. "Thanks."

"And another thing," Raven glanced over her shoulder with a glare. "Stop calling me and her Sunshine."

Jake laughed as the former Titan walked away. He figured that he was running out of witty nicknames for his female counterparts, but he didn't think Raven would actually try to make a joke about it. Again, they were good acquaintances whenever he was not wearing a mask and she was not casting a spell to either capture or maim him. Raven, like himself, hated to kill but has admitted to doing so to save a few people.

Jake's laughter slowly quieted as his mind took on another problem. Jade Nguyen. That damn woman was always troubling his thoughts for some reason. There were times when he would just lie in bed and count down how long it took her to either call or break into his apartment. She hardly ever knocked, and even still, she picked the lock to let herself in. He figured that his senior partner, though he would never use the word "senior" to describer her out loud, was jealous that he had to put a lot of their missions on hold just to spend time with her sister. He got to be a normal teen and go on dates and play football while Jade was stuck being Cheshire. Maybe she thought it wasn't fair?

Leaving the library now, Jake felt his shoulder brush up against a larger body. Looking to his left, he saw a very familiar tanned boy.

"Excuse me."

Jake gave a small nod of his head. "No problem."

So, Jake thought, the new Aqualad was in Happy Harbor as well? Maybe he lived here? Or maybe, just maybe, this is where this new team had their base? Jake did not know for sure and he honestly did not care at the moment. For now, he would return to Gotham and dissolve his problem with Jade one way or another.

* * *

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 7, 15:38:12 EST]

Jade sat in her apartment, meditating quietly. She only did this sort of thing whenever her mind was distorted and her job got harder. She was angry at someone, but she honestly did not know who. First, there was Jake and the many reasons that came with him to hate him. She was also angry at her father who caused her to have the life that she had in the first place. Then there was Artemis… Well, she really had no reason to be angry at Artemis at the moment, but she was. Finally Jade admitted to being angry at herself.

Now the question became: Who was she angrier at?

"Did you know I was coming or do you always leave your window open?" Jade's eyes snapped open angrily at one of her objects of anger. He wore his Red X costume safe for the mask at the moment, his mischievous smile present as always. "Are you going to tell me what you're mad at me about?"

"You didn't figure it out?" Jade asked.

Jake sighed. "What can I say? A beautiful blonde ran through my mind and now I'm trying to remove all traces of her."

"I don't care about what you and my sister do, Junior." Jade snapped back.

"What?" Jade was confused by his response.

"What do you mean 'what'? You were talking about Artemis, weren't you?" Jade questioned.

"No." replied the boy. "I was talking about a former Titan who can pretty much read minds and emotions and crap. That's the blonde who I ran into who ran through my mind. Almost literally." Jade nodded, closing her eyes and resuming her meditation. "She told me that you were jealous."

"J-jealous?! Of what?!" Jake winced as Jade's voice reached Black Canary sonic cry levels.

"That I don't know." Jake said. "But it's quite apparent that you are-" Jake's statement ended when a sai embedded in the wall next to him. "Hey! That almost hit me!"

"Then I missed." hissed irate teen. "You should be lucky."

Jake realized that one of two things will happen now. He would continue to push her until she snapped on him and actually attempted to kill him or he would leave and end up empty-handed. Being a thief of his caliber, returning home empty-handed was always a bad feeling. But he would be alive and mostly unharmed.

"Fine, I'll leave. Just know that Raven told me you were jealous. I had the same response as you had, but she can read emotions. It's a part of being half-demon half-sorceress and all."

Jade's eyes narrowed as the boy teleported out of her dingy apartment. She huffed angrily before resuming her meditating. Yet it only took a few minutes of failed attempts to have her grunting in frustration and leaving her couch. Now pacing in front of the small couch, she let her right hand rake through her hair as she tried to figure out the object of her anger. She assumed it was Jake as it normally was but soon realize that this anger was much different than what he was capable of making her feel. This anger was borderline frustration and infuriating. Jake was just annoying.

Practically stomping to her weapon buried in her wall, she ripped it out and stared out of the window. After all the other reasons had failed, only one remained. She was jealous. She was jealous that Artemis was able to live a normal teenage life and have an alter ego. She was jealous that Red X could be hated by thousands but Jake Cross could be adored by millions. Jade Nguyen and Cheshire were the same people. They did the same things. They liked the same things. There were no differences between Jade and Cheshire. But Jake and Artemis were practically joined at the hips while Red X and Artemis- the archer- were enemies. Jake would treat Jade out for dinner and Artemis would probably like seeing her older sister. However, Red X loves nothing more than to get under Cheshire's skin and Artemis would hate it if Cheshire appeared at her doorway with flowers. Not that she would appear with flowers anyway.

Yet, Jade and Cheshire thought the same way. They felt the same way for both Jake/Red X and Artemis/Artemis Crock. And that was something that fueled her jealousy, how the two younger teens could easily separate themselves from, well, themselves and Jake.

The _other_ reason she was jealous was a little hard for her to swallow. It was something that she would either say when she was ready or take with her to the grave. No one, and she meant _no one_, must ever find out that she could have some romantic feelings with the only guy who has been brave enough to take her out for dinner. And thankfully, no one would or they would meet a very swift end. Period.

* * *

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 7, 18:36:53 EST]

Jake let out a grunt as another blow came to his sternum. Nyssa was relentless today for whatever the reason was and Jake almost suggested that the superior Talia be his tutor instead. But he knew that Nyssa's older sister wouldn't be that much better. Plus, Talia did one thing that Nyssa hadn't quite mastered yet.

Mind games.

"You're weak," Though, Nyssa wasn't far from mastering it. "Get up. Fight back."

Jake rose and gripped the kendo stick in his hand while he stared at Nyssa who held one of her own. He knew that she was going to come for him again. Nyssa was an offensive fighter. She liked to push her opponent until she finally caught a successful blow. Talia was the defensive one. She waited and waited until her opponent made a mistake. Thus they were a pretty scary to take on one-on-one, and near unbeatable when they worked together.

"What is on your mind Jake? I have never seen you move so sluggish." Talia's voice caused Jake to groan.

"It's nothing." Jake said getting into a defensive stance and glaring at Nyssa. "Are we going to continue?"

"You fight as if you have lost nothing." Talia's voice still taunted Jake. "Your mother's and sister's killers are still out there. How are you able to beat them with moves like this?"

This time, Jake was able to block the shot that Nyssa had just recently land on him. The move was not complex by any means, he was just caught up in his thoughts. Now that he was more focused on proven Talia wrong he was able to block most of Nyssa's shots.

Though she was able to sweep him off his feet.

"Pathetic." Nyssa said before Jake rolled to his feet and spun, his staff coming directly for Nyssa's midsection. She blocked it with a snort. "Nice try."

"How do you think that you can protect those like Jade if you constantly end up losing?" Talia asked.

Nyssa swung for Jake and was unprepared for the counter that he had. Spinning around, he landed a rather powerful kick to the back of her left leg. Her knee buckled, but that was just the beginning as his kendo stick cracked against her back and she fell forward.

Talia smirked. Sure, she had just caused her sister's injuries, but that was a small price. She had seen just a portion of the abilities that Jake had. The abilities that put Rose's to shame. The abilities that Jade swore he possessed, though many of the members thought it was a little farfetched.

"Bravo," Ra's voice stopped Nyssa from getting up and beating the boy within an inch of his life. She stood and just sent him a promising glare as her father neared the topless teen. "You seem to improve everyday, young Jake."

Jake's eyes cut towards Ra's. "Thanks."

"But you seem to have picked up your father's mannerism." Ra's said.

"Forgive him, Father," Talia interjected before Jake could retaliate. "When he's angered, he shows a lot of Deathstroke's mannerisms. Though…"

"I understand." Ra's said. "Tell me, young Jake, how is the mission with Miss Crock? You have her trust, don't you?"

"More than you know." Jake told him.

"Good. Very good." Ra's replied. "Now we move on to the next step. I need you to follow her to their hideout. It should be in Happy Harbor somewhere."

Jake's eyes narrowed. So their hideout _was_ in Happy Harbor. This answered the reason why Dick chose not to do any afterschool activities. The trip from Gotham City to what Jake has deemed the polar opposite city of Gotham was a good three to four hours away, depending on traveling speed and traffic. It also answered his earlier question as to why he ran into Aqualad at the library.

"Now, you may return to your training." Ra's said as he turned and walked away.

Jake turned his attention the al Ghul sisters and frowned.

"There's a reason that he favors me. What is it?" The boy questioned.

The sisters glanced at one another. They could have told him that it had more to do with Jake's parents than Jake himself. Slade's DNA had been altered in the past, a super-soldier serum making him faster, stronger, and smarter than he already was. Add that with the genes of a woman who has taught soldiers how to fight in the first place, and you were given two children who had the greatest potential of becoming the world's top assassins; Jake and Rose Wilson. Rose had proven to be as good as expected, being mentored by Lady Shiva. And Jake…

Jake had already surpassed that.

"We will continue your training." Talia said picking up a bamboo stick. "Get ready."

Jake inhaled deeply. This job had too many secrets for his liking. He figured that his mission with Artemis was just to get inside the Justice League's lair. But as to why he was being trained by the head of the group and his daughters, Jake was clueless. He assumed it had something to do with his father, but it was obvious that Jake and Slade were not the best of friends, let alone the best father and son duo.

But for now, protecting his body from Nyssa's blows was more important.

"I said prepare!" Talia barked when Nyssa was able to land a strike to Jake's back.

Jake growled. "I hate you two…"

"Straighten up and prepare yourself." Nyssa ordered. "You got lucky once kid. Now let's see you do it again."

The sparring session was pretty much the best Talia and Nyssa had ever seen Jake performed. They knew his weakness. They knew just how to make him put in the effort to fight with or without his suit. They just had to exploit it. They just had to show him how much his missed his mother and sister or how much he cared about Jade.

Ra's watched the training with a smirk on his face. He saw several similarities between the boy currently sparring with his daughters and the man he once sought to be his successor. Their care for others fueled their bodies and gave them the strength to defeat adversary after adversary. The difference between the two was how far they were willing to go. Bruce would never kill another no matter what they had done to him. Jake says he wouldn't but it was well noted that he could be blinded by rage. Who knows what he was willing to do if pushed beyond the limits?


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 07: Partners

[Metropolis, New York]  
[November 10, 17:05:30]

Cheshire looked at her partner, who gave her a small nod of his head. She returned the nod before the two looked down at their target. Honestly, she had not thought much of the mission; a small robbery in her opinion. Her mind was focused on the boy who hadn't said much of anything since they learned of the mission. When Nyssa had flown them from Gotham to Metropolis, she had expected the helicopter ride to be quite hectic with the boy becoming bored of texting Artemis. However, that was not the case. He simply called her sister and told her that he had something to do and that was it. No small talk. No snide comment. Not even a smirk before he put his mask on and hopped out of the helicopter.

Odd, Jade thought. Then again, she had not been herself either. Coming to accept her jealousy of, not only Artemis's and Jake's double lives, but their relationship was new for her. Sure, she found a lot of men attractive and pursued them; whether they wanted her to or not. But she couldn't rape Jake or attempt to. She found herself bound by loyalty to have him consent to anything sexual. He did come to her aid when she needed it most.

"Cheshire, we have company." Jade snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her partner.

"Superman?"

He shakes his head. "No. Vigilante." Even through their masks, Jake realizes the confuse face that Jade ad-libs. "The chick. Guns. Vigilante."

Jade feels embarrassed. She was the one that was supposed to be the one that knew all of their possible enemies, not Jake. Apparently, Ra's has been teaching the boy far more than self-defense.

"Where is she?" Jade asked before a gunshot was heard.

Jake sighed. "Killing the owner of our black kryptonite."

"So we'll just have to kill her." Cheshire remarked. "Do you think you can get the rock?"

"Just don't get killed." And with that, Red X was gone.

Cheshire was thoroughly surprised by his statement. In a way, it reminded her of Slade. The man who she had gone on a few missions with normally said the same thing. Though she knew Slade didn't care for her wellbeing, he just cared about doing the mission efficiently.

"Stop worrying." Cheshire muttered to herself.

_"Who are you talking to? And where are you?"_ came the response of her partner.

Realizing that she had made the rookie mistake of muttering her thoughts aloud whilst wearing her activated communicator, Jade quickly recovered.

"Hold on." she growled.

While Jade moved to meet up with her partner said partner was pretty pissed at her delay. He didn't know what to make of Jade's actions today. While Jade normally kept an eye on him (he was a thief after all), today had been completely different. She was practically staring at him the entire helicopter ride to Metropolis, which made him highly uncomfortable. Jade Nguyen was a dangerous woman and could strike her prey at any given moment. The way she was watching him on the helicopter made him feel like a small rat with a giant red X on his back while the green tigress stared at him with hunger. It was unnerving to the point that he hopped out of the helicopter before it actually landed.

And now this.

"You're pretty quick on your feet kid." The woman known as Vigilante stated.

"You say that to every man you dance with or just those as handsome as me?" Sure, taunting a gun wielding woman was probably the last thing any man wanted to do. But Jake felt his body tingle with the thrill of dodging bullets. He blamed Ra's for this newfound level of excitement, but it was clearly there.

"You're pretty cocky," Vigilante said before revealing a fighting baton. "Too bad I'm going to wipe this floor with your stupid smirk."

Settling in a defensive stance, Jake smirked beneath his mask.

"Now who's cocky?" The thief returned.

Unbeknownst to Jake, Cheshire had successfully snuck into the room to retrieve the black kryptonite. She was now more interested in seeing Jake take on the urban commando by himself. She must admit, those training sessions with the al Ghul family seemed to be paying off.

Jake raised his forearm, taking the blow from her baton. He made an attempt to grab the baton, but the veteran was able to push him away with a simple kick to his gut. Annoyed, Jake reached to his sides and grabbed a pair of red escrima sticks.

"Let's try this again." Jake said.

Vigilante was intrigued to say the least. The boy seemed oblivious to her actual skills. She had fought with great fighters such as Deathstroke and Batman, she could easily take care of some kid. However, she completely underestimated the skills of the boy.

Swing, duck, kick, block left, block right, sweep. This became a mantra in Jake's mind with a different verse every other second. He could practically see it. Her moves revealed themselves to him as he focused his mind on one thing; Jade being shot. The memory somehow allowed him the ability to utilize everything he has been taught in life in a fight, like now. And while he subconsciously knew that his partner was safe somewhere, he just replayed that sight over and over.

"Alright, this ends here!" Vigilante said, her handgun pointed directly at thief. There was no way in hell she was going to be beaten by some kid.

"I'd put that down if I were you." Vigilante did not panic, not even with a knife pressed against her neck. "Shoot him and I'll make sure that it is the last thing you do."

"I'd listen to her, she's stabbed me before." Red X commented, placing his escrima sticks back in their holsters.

Knowing when beaten, the woman lowered her weapon, though she did not put it away. When Red X disappeared from in front of her and reappeared behind her, she knew she missed her chance on killing him. Scum like these two always seemed to get away.

"Got the rock?" Red X asked.

"Don't tell me you're ready to go. I was enjoying your dance with your new girlfriend." Cheshire remarked. "Though, I am slightly jealous."

Her words cause the two to stare in silence for a brief moment. Jake then ended it when he raised his palm towards her.

"Don't be." he said.

Cheshire saw the X on his palm light up and stepped away in time for him to wrap Vigilante in a giant red X. Jade felt something inside of her feel… Well quite not right but right at the same time. That was the only way she could explain the nervousness that filled her gut.

The thief did not really pay much attention to his partner as he moved to the struggling woman on the ground.

"Who do you work for? Who took over the company?" his words caused Cheshire to frown behind her mask while Vigilante momentarily stopped struggling to stare at him through her red shades.

"How do you know about Vigilance Inc?" Jake bristled at the name before leaning down to glare at the woman through his mask.

"Killing someone for being in possession of black kryptonite is not how Adeline would have wanted to do things." Jake hissed.

Vigilante's demeanor quickly changed. "How would you know?!" Jake didn't say anything as he stood up. "How do you know this?!"

"I knew her daughter." Was Jake's statement.

The anti-hero snorted. "Ravager? Must've loved the nut-job." Cheshire saw her partner pause in step and would have pleaded with the woman to be quiet, but secretly wanted the woman to get what was coming to her for making this mission longer than it should have been. "You sort of remind me of her, to a degree. She didn't say much, just what her mission was and that was it."

"Did you know her?" Jake questioned.

"Know her? I ran into the little brat more times than I would've liked. I didn't kill her because…" Vigilante's pause caused Jake to quietly think in his head.

"Adeline?" No response. "I see… Deathstroke."

"What does a kid like you know? Run before this shit lets off and I blow your damn brains out!" Vigilante ordered.

"But before that," The kick came out of nowhere. Cheshire could not even predict that Red X would teleport in front of the down woman and, what it looked like, attempt to kick her head off of her shoulders, effectively knocking her out. "My sister wasn't a nutcase, my mother hated killing when it wasn't necessary, and my father would have _never_ liked someone so weak."

Amused, Jade crossed her arms. "Finished?"

"Finished," Jake replied walking towards his partner. "Let's get out of here."

"Date with Artemis?" Jade queried.

"More or less with her sister." The boy's response made Cheshire's brows rise behind her mask. "Of course, we might want to get back to the helicopter before Nyssa leaves us."

Jade only nodded as Jake walked out of the room, stepping over the dead guards. His demeanor was similar to how it used to be. That was good. She really could not take another helicopter ride of silence.

"By the way," Jade grimaced at the returning of his annoying mocking voice. "Did you admit that you were jealous Sunshine? Even after you told me that-"

"Another word and die."

Jake smirked. "Another word."

The boy vanished before Jade could even respond. Despite being pissed at his taunts, she still smiled before quickly moving to catch up. For the first time in her life, Jade Nguyen thought that she had a genuine friend. And maybe possibly more.

* * *

[Gotham City, New Jersey]  
[November 10, 22:48:21 EST]

The night air was cool, borderline cold, but for natives of the city it was fine. The air was a lot cooler on the rooftops of the skyscrapers in the city, which is why most people avoided them at the moment. But for a certain thief and his assassin partner, it was the best place to hideout after their recent robbery. Nothing big, just a few jewels from the museum. It was more or less a training session for them.

"You know," Jake began. Like his teammate, his mask was off but costume still on. "It's real peaceful tonight."

Jade snorted. "You mean next to the Falcone's family squabbles?"

"Just another night in Gotham, I always say." Jade grinned at his words, causing Jake's eyes to widen in mock shock. "Do I see a smile on your face?"

"Don't push it." Jade replied.

With a shrug, Jake continued. "You know, it's not as bad as you think." Spotting Jade's brows furrow in question, Jake elaborated. "Smiling. It's not as bad as you think it is. I smile all the time and no one thinks I'm a pushover."

"You don't smile when Talia and Nyssa are wiping the floor with you." commented Jade.

"In my defense, I don't think you would've done any better." Despite the actual shot at her fighting capabilities, Jade only shrugged. Talia and Nyssa had been fighting against and with one another for over a century. They clearly out-matched any one man or woman when working together. "Though one day, I'm sure I'll figure out the key to beating them both."

"Pit them against one another." Jade suggested.

"Tried that. Ra's interfered and I got beat worse."

The sound of an alarm caused the two to quickly look around. Finding the source of the alarm to be a bank nearby with a threesome of ski-mask thieves fleeing the scene, Jake put his mask on.

"Feel like taking care of a few cops for me?"

Even with his face covered and voice changed, Jade smirked with the knowledge that he was grinning as well.

"Only if you can steal me a few bucks." Jade said placing her mask on as well.

"I'm ready when you are, partner." Red X said holding out a hand.

Taking his hand, Cheshire took in a deep breath before the two vanished from the rooftop. They would eventually find the source of the commotion, take the money stolen, and Jade would end up killing one of the ski-masked thieves. Jake didn't mind. He knew Jade well enough to know that she did it for the same reason he robbed them. It was a thrill. And it was actually more of a thrill when they were together.

Then again, they were partners after all.


End file.
